These contemporary theories now include the behaviours, attitudes, and skills
attributed to women in management roles. There is now a widely held recognition that
women have what it takes to effectively lead in organisations today, and they are more
likely to have these characteristics than are their male colleagues in management.
Contemporary theories, therefore, have now made it possible to recognise the
contribution that women can and do bring to a leadership role. It would seem,
therefore, that although the leadership literature has played a significant role in raising
the profile of women in management, further advances are required in order to advance
the careers of women in management.
To date, these contemporary theories appear to have had little success in changing
the attitudes of decision makers in organisations to appoint women more readily to
leadership positions. It will be of great interest, therefore, to see if the recent findings of
women’s superiority in utilising effective leadership styles of interaction with their
subordinates and organisational outcomes, actually translates into a dramatic increase
in the numbers of women being appointed into senior leadership roles. After all, it is