Women “AND” Leadership Development:

Toward Transformative Leadership Development

Abstract

  Despite extensive discourse and Japanʼs “Promotion of Womenʼs Active Engagement in Professional Life” policy, Japanʼs gender gap persists. How can leadership development programs in universities and colleges better respond to this gap? Why is the gender gap a problem, and what role does “leadership” play in resolving or perpetuating the gap? Is “womenʼs leadership” the crux of the issue? Is developing “womenʼs leadership” the likely solution? What does developing “womenʼs leadership” exactly mean? Do we, as leadership educators, ever stop to take the time to reflect on the taken-for-granted, gendered notion of leadership, and on the possible systemic forces that make them “taken-for-granted”? How do students perceive and enact (or not enact) leadership, and why? How do “women” and “leadership development” intersect?

  The roundtable session emphasized the importance of understanding the interplay between social norms and leadership, recognizing that both leadership and gender are social constructs. It urged a more transformative approach, including womenʼs leadership. The five speakers provided a brief overview of transformative leadership development, introduced research findings on women in management, conducted an analysis of an assessment study on university leadership courses, reflected on leadership development education practices, and reported on a workshop on liberatory leadership learning. The speakers and participants together explored the possibility of approaching leadership with a “women ‘AND’” perspective rather than “womenʼs”, and discussed how leadership development in universities and colleges might be liberatory for not only females but also for all students.