Mary JoLarson

I really enjoyed the opportunity and experience to have such an amazing person come and talk with us in class. We are extremely priveledged to have this opportunity. I think it is amazing that she just came back from spending time in Ireland, and we get to see a perspective that has seen women and their roles in many different countries and societies. I think she helped us see a little bit that we sometimes can be limiting to ourselves, and we have to think beyond the gender issue and fight through it. She made me realize some things about myself that I had not realized before. She made me realize that my dad has probably had the biggest influence on me throughout my life and helped me keep my inner strength because he has been around more. She also helped me see that I look up to and respect my step grandmother who keeps our family together, and is the leader and organizer in my extended family. She helped me see that my values and qualities of leadership have branched from my personal experiences, and it has helped shape who I am today. I didn't completely understand all of her drawings and relational models, and I wish I had been able to hear more about her personal life and experiences, because she is such an interesting person. She is very humble, and didn't want to talk about herself too much. I really enjoyed having her come and talk with us, and I learned so much from the experience!

Guest Speaker #1

Dr. Mary JoLarson was a very informative speaker last week. The bird cage scenario that Professor Scott introduced really put in perspective for me the idea of women's oppression. Dr. Mary JoLarson also referenced it several times during her presentation as well. I am a visual learner so the bird cage idea really helped connect everything. Her 4 square reflection exercises also allowed for great reflection. It was also refreshing to know that her starts were at a department store and that everything else fell into place for her. Its a great feeling to know that life works that way and that reassuring to myself as a young, hard working college student. She did lose me a little bit during the collaborative policy and private sector part. I was confused about how that was relating to what we were talking about. I also liked that she had us reflect on our role models and why they were our role models. Again, a great perspective on things we think of daily but we don't actually reflect on until we are asked. I really enjoyed her presentation and would love to hear her speak again.

Speaker # 1 Saher Javed

OK .... so I figured this out now because I posted the first two blogs as comments, but now they will be posts.

I enjoyed having Dr. Jolarson in our class today. I thought her exercise was neat, it made me think and reflect. Also, listening to her personal story and how she moved from one thing to the next was interesting to listen to. I agree to what she spoke about the psychology of women. How women can't become united and work together because of this mentality that women possess. I think the metaphor the professor used about the bird cage is a great example of how people think and are stuck in this cage with all of these limitations that exist and don't overcome them. However, others note it and progress, but I think the majority of women under estimate their abilities and don't try to make a difference.

Chapters 6-8

So while doing the readings, I asked a few of my guy friends on their thoughts (or rather didn't have to). My responses were the same as most of the class' have been so far, derogatory and rude. I stood up for the issue, and it was like he had never heard someone stand up for it before. The readings this week made me think deeper into the gender issue and what sets us apart. Everything that was being discussed about women was positive, and I don't understand why that frame of leadership isn't being grasped and followed by men. Women in general are more caring about others, able to communicate across lines of authority, can be team spirited, and strong. It upsets me to hear that the 3 traits of leadership in women in helping, listening, and teaching, are viewed as mothers, not leaders. I know that mothers are leaders, because I am a woman, but... do men think that way? Are they understanding that these are the qualities that leaders need to lead effectively? Media has a lot to do with the portrayal of women in leadership and roles. It was a good start with Mattel to put out a President Barbie, but it does say a lot that it is a Barbie, not portionate to itsself, and an unrealistic female icon. They asked that Barbie could stand on her own, and Mattel couldn't even produce that. Media shapes who we are and what we want to be. Those images stay with us for decades after they are produced. Change begins with a little bit business, and a little bit personal.

What's So Great About Being a Man?

In this class, and in the class I took last fall semester, Gender Representations in Popular Culture, I learned of the belief that society values men more than women. Even though it would seem that the women take on most of the work behind the scenes, it is common a kind of common knowledge that men are more important. But, what is so great about being a man? I found some descriptions of what being a man entails in the text, and I am not impressed:

Pressure
Strong
Independent
Bully
Don't be a girl
Sex
Confident
Denial of feelings
Don't cry
Silent
Do it
Power
Don't ask

(p.104, Closing the Leadership Gap)

There are very little positive descriptions in this list, the worst of which must be 'don't be a girl.' It seems to be the worst thing in the world for a man to be labeled a woman. The text even has statistics on this.

"In 1991, the Michigan Board of Education published a statewide study of students' perceptions of what it means to be male or female. When asked how their lives would be different if they were the opposite sex, nearly 50 percent of the girls spoke of advantages to being a boy, while only 7 percent of the boys saw advantages to being a girl. Although girls found it interesting or exciting to think of life as a boy, nearly 20 percent of the boys gave extremely hostile, derogatory responses. An alarming number of boys said that they would commit suicide if they suddenly awoke to find they were girls. One boy wrote, "I would kill myself right away by starting myself on fire so no one knew." (p. 105, Closing the Leadership Gap)

This section was completely shocking to me. That a boy would rather murder himself than live the life that I live. How discouraging and terrifying. I can understand why girls would feel so devalued, unappreciated, and worthless after reading something like that. If nothing else is accomplished for women, surely this belief of how terrible and revolting it would be to be a woman should be changed.

The name of Our Group?

I was wondering if anyone has an idea for a group name? We were suppose to come up with a group name?
I was thinking the maybe Future leaders? What do you guys think?

chpters 6-8 Sarah Iglesias

These chapters decsribed the characteristics men and women and girls and boys. Men and Boys: Masculinity leader Have more money Strong Pressure from society Power Worker in big Corporations Fathers (not a big role) Able to play in Sports Active Society s Sees men as the worker and bring home the money Seen as the stronger sex Women want men to spend more time with the children while the Women works Women and girls: Feminine leaders Make less money Role as a mother Kept children safe Care giver Know the keys to survival Pressure from society Communicators Encouraging Understanding Organized Authority Teaching Sharing information Teamwork Team spirit Peacemakers Reasoners Elegant Do what ever it takes to get the job done Nurturing relationships Intimate Speak freely Empathy Relational skills Take Daughters to work day Society sees women as the American Barbie Girls and women are the cleaners and stay at home moms Considered as the weaker sex Become more roles for women on TV and movies

Chapters 1-5

I am a female leader who looks deeply into how my leadership style works. I am trying to discover how the human mind works, and more specifically how the female mind works within leadership. I am discovering how emotion plays into women in leadership, and how to control that. The readings bring up some very good points, about how we are trying to be molded into this male perspective of leadership, and how is that fair if we are still fighting for our own independence and freedom? Women lead differently than men, but how is it any inferior to a man's style of leadership, and why does it seem that we are forced to conform to that style? This country is literally asking for a woman leader in power, but are we truly ready to give her the freedom to lead as she chooses? When a woman is in power, I don't feel that men give her the respect that she deserves right away. From my personal experiences, I feel like we have to earn our trust and leadership role even after we are in it (from men). I manage a music retail store, and I don't get the respect I deserve even though I know more than the guy who is my age about guitars. I think that males that show their "warm as toast" side, get praised for being a hero and sensitive to people, where women are just perceived as weak. I feel the same as the book states, that I already have 2 disadvantages in the workplace, that I don't "look" like a leader because I am not male, and that I am busy with many other things, so employees see that as a weakness in a leader. I love the A's that were come up with in the book: authority, ambition, ability, and authenticity...these are all qualities that women are not perceived to have, but qualities that we strive for. Authority, Ambition, and Ability are all traits that women are still constantly standing up for themselves on, even though we are slowly getting there.

My Thoughts About Feminism

I feel that I should begin my blogs by stating my beliefs about feminism. I, personally, do not consider myself a feminist. Many women would think this to be outrageous. I have heard women say, "How can you be a woman and NOT be a feminist?" I think it's very simple. I don't agree with all of the theory, and therefore, I cannot accept it. However, I am not so biased that I will not listen and learn about it. I believe that knowledge is a very powerful thing, even knowledge of something one may not accept or consider false. I also believe that one cannot decide that they do not accept a certain idea or theory in ignorance; they must have information or evidence to support their decision.

I have many reasons why I do not fully accept the feminist theory, but I will only divulge a few here. One of the reasons is because I am a Christian and as part of my faith, I believe that men and women were designed for different roles in society. This does not mean that I think that only men should comprise the workforce while the women belong in the kitchen, I just feel that men are better at some things, just as women are better at some things. Of course, there are always exceptions to that statement. I have heard some people comment that the Bible is very patriarchal, but that is not an entirely true statement. In fact, many times did God use women in positions of leadership. Deborah was a judge of a tribe of Israel. Esther became queen and used her position to save her entire race. Because of these examples and many more, I believe that women can and should lead.

I also have a problem with the bitterness I feel when I read feminist texts, view films, or listen to discussions. Even though I hear time and time again that feminists are not 'man-haters' and hold nothing against them, I still hear little demeaning comments about them constantly. Even in the film we watched last week, I came away with the feeling that man is the enemy and that simply is not so. I feel that tradition and society are to blame and in order for any change to occur, a better approach must be taken to achieve the results women desire.

There is also something about feminism that confuses me to no end. Women say that they want the same rights of men, to be treated equally, and to be viewed the same as them. For example, in the first class, when one of the students was introducing another and said she was the captain of the "Lady Patriots" and the woman was quick to correct her and say "Patriots." She did this because her basketball team shouldn't be classified as "women players", but simply, players. So, why is it that whenever I see a woman come to a position of power do they always point out the fact that they are a woman in power? I have heard many declare this in some way, including Pelosi and Clinton, which seem to be the popular women in power at the moment. The thing that confuses me is that I thought women would want to be recognized for their position and not the fact that they are a woman in their position. It really doesn't make sense to me and it occurs so often.

I think that is enough of my thoughts for now. I would like to say that I don't want anyone to think that I am against them for their opinions or beliefs relating to feminism. I also don't want anyone to feel that I am totally close-minded about the theory. I am in this class to learn and listen, and to formulate opinions, just like everyone else.

overview of readings

In reading these chapters I came to focus on a point in chapter three that really stood out to me and my interests. I work in a store as the only female among eight male representatives. I’m the lowest on the ladder because I am the newest of all the team members but believe I get more respect from management then some of my co-workers.
I attribute this to Marie Wilson’s passage titled “Authority for All” (pg. 48) where she talks about how women should present themselves when dealing with male upper management in the work place. I do agree that we have to push ourselves twice as hard to be recognized, however I find it more comforting to know that our Vice President of Retail Sales is in fact a woman. Not only that, but we received a new Market Manager last month, also a woman. When I first started working for this company all of the management was of the male gender. I feel that my company has made the extra effort to extend their boundaries and even push for the success of their women employees but offering childcare compensation and tuition reimbursement as well as very flexible schedules.
The idea of the government take of power by women seemed to be Wilson’s focus for a good part of the book. I feel like that situation is based on her opinion and not fact. On page 36 Wilson touched on the subject of credentials. She listed two of Dole’s credentials and then quickly stated that she fell short to “George W. Bush, a man with far fewer credentials.” To me she seemed to be using it as an excuse for why Dole did not make the candidacy with the two credentials listed, and that Bush won with no credentials. I would have liked to see a more factual side of both candidates. The idea of women in high government job will come with time. I feel that in our class, maybe one of us is looking for government positions. I think we should start with some of the more common places of work and then work our way to the top. Things are not going to all fall into place with a woman president.
The part in chapter three I really took heart to was the passage of the WHEN organization. Page 51 she spoke of the Women Helping Empower Neighborhoods. This to me seemed like a great idea to get involved in and would be something I would be interested in trying to start around here. Not only would this be a women-ran organization but could extend it’s doors further to help take stress of women that are trying to run for the office. This organization when attached to a political party can extends to thousands of votes. If the WHEN organization is helping kids of single mom’s and dad’s by just providing some daycare or transportation they would bring in many votes for the candidate they were supporting as well. That group of ladies really hit the mark by promoting that kind of help.

Chapters 1-5 by Sarah Iglesias

Sarah Iglesias
Chapters 1-5

Closing the Leadership Gap: Why Women Can And Must Help Run The World

Here are some statistics about women in Politics:
“There are 435 seats in the House of Representatives and only 60 are occupied by women and out of 100 senators only 14 are women. Only 26 women have been governors of the United States” (P.xii).
The women in the House of Representatives are the ones passing bills that would benefit women and children, like better schools and education, birth control for women, and still fighting for equal rights for women in the workforce.
I don’t understand why women are seen different? Some of us can do a men’s job three times better and to perfection.
Women should be able to go out their in the world and get a job and not be lower then men but equal. Some should have the right to stop being the full time mom and house maid but get an education and peruse her dream, and not be what others think women should be. “No women shall allow any person define her but herself.” (p.37)
If I didn’t have job I would be very bored. After you cleaned the house and took care of the children then what would you do? I would really hate that job. It is not like having the freedom to do what you want. Women did what men told them to do and they didn’t argue back afraid of what they would lose.
Do you remember reading the Scarlet letter and Hester Paynne had to wear the scarlet letter on her chest because she committed adultery and broke from society. “The A’s that resound for me: authority, ambition, ability, and authenticity.” (p.29) “The trick is to take confining A’s of our lives authority, ambition, ability, and authenticity- and turn them into strengths, as Prynne did." (p71). Throughout history women have been denied the authority because it is a men’s world. Men were they only ones to have the authority because they were masculinity. Women were seen for the way they look and not for what they were trying to prove. Women have the same right to become a leader. Women didn’t have the power. Marjorie “Mo” Mowlam a member of the British Parliament once said, “It is important for women to not just be in office, but in power. Women must be in power before we can said to be equal.”(p. 33)
“Ambition in men is an expectation and a virtue. In women, it can be a kiss of death, guaranteeing isolation, ending relationships (personal and professional), pushing entire families into therapy, and making even the most self-assured CEO worker wonder what she was thinking.” (p.53) If women were ambitious it would be seen as insanity and it was not lady like. Men would see it as a mental incapability. Women were just trying to break free of the men’s power and better their range of opportunities. “Women in power have a chance to rewrite the meaning of the word, to have ambition for fairness, a just and safe world for our families and a more cohesive community acting for a common good.” (p.71).
Women now have the same ability as in men. If men can become leaders why can’t women? Women are growing stronger and stronger and one day there will be there first women to become president of the United States of America. “76 percent express their personal comfort with a women president, and 50 percent of people are comfortable with a female head of state.” (p. 79)
“Women are seen as better communicators and listeners, they are more nurturing, more willing to involve other in decision making and work as a team.” (p.9)
To me this quote means woman are as good as leadership then men. Are women less capable and knowledgeable of becoming a leader? If women were in charge then we would not be at war. I think men like to go to war and destroy things. That is all boys do now in my preschool class they like to destroy things would out using their brains. They don’t even care who they hurt in the way of their destruction. Women leaders “are more likely to believe nations need to work together. Support international programs that meet basic human needs-a “human security” agenda- and empower women. Emphasize diplomacy over the military power.” (p. 86)
I think men are afraid of women. They are afraid of losing their jobs to women because they can do their jobs better and without conflict. Also I think women are sticking up for themselves and are becoming very powerful. One day there would be a women president and the world would be a better place for children to grow up and stop wars from happening. The time has ended and women are stepping up to the plate and women are going to becomes the best leaders United States has ever had and show men we and do it better and look better doing our jobs. Women don’t want to be told what to do they deserve freedom and deserve to fallow their dreams and aspirations.

Contact Information

Here is our first post with our contat information on it :) hope this is all good!


Kayse Kosar 703 282 9746 kkosar@gmu.edu

Sahar Javed 703 869 9802 sjaved2@gmu.edu

Julie Womble 703 967 1637 jwomble@gmu.edu

Becky Grau 757 297 6180 rgrau@gmu.edu

Sarah Iglesias 703 843 5336 Sperreau@gmu.edu