Gender, Politics, and Leadership

Together we will look at gender in the context of politics and leadership and consider how to take a practical stance in identifying both problems and solutions on the path to greater gender equality in those spheres.

We will consider key concepts and look at gender, power and leadership in organizations and in the political sphere, examining the extent to which difference is rewarded or not, looking at some of the factors affecting talent pipelines. We will study behaviors, stereotypes, structures and cultures that support or inhibit gender equality at the top of organizations and political hierarchies, including considering the implications when more than one social characteristic (such as race/ethnicity, class/socioeconomic background and disability) intersect with gender.

New for this semester, we'll look at leadership during the pandemic and explore the dynamics of gender interactions via case study exercises.