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Women's Leadership and Third-Wave Feminism Kathleen P Political Science Faculty Publications Political Science 2010 Women's Leadership and Third-Wave Feminism Kathleen P. Iannello Gettysburg College Follow this and additional works at: https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/poliscifac Part of the History of Gender Commons, Law and Gender Commons, Political Science Commons, Women's History Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons Share feedback about the accessibility of this item. Iannello, Kathleen. "Women's Leadership and Third-Wave Feminism." Gender and Women's Leadership: A Reference Handbook. Ed. Karen O'Connor (Sage Publishing, 2010), 70-77. This is the publisher's version of the work. This publication appears in Gettysburg College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution. Cupola permanent link: https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/poliscifac/8 This open access book chapter is brought to you by The uC pola: Scholarship at Gettysburg College. It has been accepted for inclusion by an authorized administrator of The uC pola. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Women's Leadership and Third-Wave Feminism Abstract Leadership is a term that women strive to claim as their own. Whether in the halls of Congress, the corporate boardroom, or the privacy of the home, women’s leadership challenges traditional notions of the concept. Throughout the ages images of leadership feature men in uniform and men in positions of power, whether it be military, government, or market. The traditional view of leaders is imbued with male images of “heroes,” who issue orders, lead the troops—save the day. But leadership has another face. It is the face of Abigail Adams admonishing her husband to “Remember the Ladies” in the formation of this new American nation (McGlen, O’Connor, van Assendelft, & Gunther-Canada, 2002, p. 1). It is the face of Susan B. Anthony in 1872 standing trial for illegally voting. It is the face of scores of women in today’s world who have shattered glass ceilings in corporate America and hold important legislative and administrative posts in state and federal government. Yet there is more to the concept of “women’s leadership” than substituting one face for another. [excerpt] Keywords women's leadership, Abigail Adams, Susan B. Anthony, gender bias, gender equality, third-wave feminism Disciplines Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | History of Gender | Law and Gender | Political Science | Women's History | Women's Studies This book chapter is available at The uC pola: Scholarship at Gettysburg College: https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/poliscifac/8 8 WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP AND THIRD-WAVE FEMINISM KATHLEEN IANNELLO Gettysburg College eadership is a term that women strive to claim as (Dicker & Piepmeier, 2003, p. 163). Women are less their own. Whether in the halls of Congress, the inclined to need an official title or location on the organi- Lcorporate boardroom, or the privacy of the home, zation chart to initiate change. Women are more inclined to women’s leadership challenges traditional notions of the challenge hierarchy, or classic, top-down organization concept. Throughout the ages images of leadership feature structure (Iannello, 1992). men in uniform and men in positions of power, whether it be Women’s collaborative nature has long been a factor in military, government, or market. The traditional view of gaining equal rights for women in the United States. As far leaders is imbued with male images of “heroes,” who issue back as the Revolutionary War, women collaborated in orders, lead the troops—save the day. But leadership has organizing boycotts of tea and other British goods another face. It is the face of Abigail Adams admonishing (Elshtain & Tobias, 1990, pp. 94–95). This early collabo- her husband to “Remember the Ladies” in the formation of ration gave women their first opportunity to make claims this new American nation (McGlen, O’Connor, van for citizenship—the early seeds of first-wave feminism Assendelft, & Gunther-Canada, 2002, p. 1). It is the face of and the fight for the right to vote (Klosko & Klosko, Susan B. Anthony in 1872 standing trial for illegally voting. 1999). The Women’s Strike for Peace (WSP) in the early It is the face of scores of women in today’s world who have 1960s, the beginning of a second wave of feminism, was an shattered glass ceilings in corporate America and hold example of women’s collaboration in forming a sponta- important legislative and administrative posts in state and neous “un-organization,” as they liked to say, focused on federal government. Yet there is more to the concept of reducing the threat of nuclear war. WSP also unintention- “women’sleadership” than substituting one face for another. ally used the strength of “female culture” to disarm the Leadership can be viewed as a gendered concept. That infamous House Un-American Activities Committee is to say that there is something about being female or (HUAC) and the communist witch hunt conducted by socialized to “female values” that can be identified in Senator Joseph McCarthy (R-WI; Swerdlow, 1990). women’s organizational behavior. Research in political sci- Numerous examples of women’s collaborative leadership ence, psychology, sociology, and Women’s Studies sup- exist throughout the second wave of American feminism. ports this claim (Swers, 2002). Studies show that women, By contrast, a “third wave” of feminism, emerging in more so than men, as leaders, encourage nonconfronta- the 1990s and extending to the present day, is raising new tional styles of decision making. Women, more than men, questions about women’s leadership in the 21st century. utilize network building to work toward consensus in sup- While collaborative leadership is still valued, third-wave port of new organization initiatives, new legislation, pol- feminists see new possibilities for individual initiative, icy, or laws, as the case may be. In addition, women are rejecting group identity, in some cases rejecting the label more inclined to lead from “where they are,” to “create “feminist,” as they seek power in their professional and change in their own lives and in their own communities” personal lives as well. To understand this contrast in the 70 (c) 2011 Sage Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 8. Women’s Leadership and Third-Wave Feminism–•–71 form and function of women’s leadership, it is important to as claims of “post-feminism” and Time Magazine’s 1998 gain a broader understanding of feminism in waves. Of cover story asking the question, “Is Feminism Dead?” Out particular interest is the way in which collaborative leader- of sexism in the Hill/Thomas hearings and reaction to 12 ship emerged in the second wave of feminism that pro- years of Reagan-Bush conservative policies, the Third Wave duced consensual and modified consensual organization Foundation was formed, aimed at recruiting and supporting structure. These organizations contributed in many ways to feminists between the ages of 15 and 30. Additionally a new cultural and political changes advancing the collective culture of music and journalism appeared with the creation rights of women in the United States. The question is, in of punk groups such as Riot Grrrls and “zines” (magazines) the third wave, how has this paradigm shifted? such as Bust, Bitch, and others (Dicker & Piepmeier, 2003). Third-wave feminism’s roots are clearly embedded in popular culture. Even though in Manifesta, Jennifer Feminism in Waves Baumgardner and Amy Richards (2000) outline a 13-point agenda for action that includes safeguarding women’srepro- The metaphor of “waves” is often used to describe and ductive rights, increasing the power and visibility of lesbian explain the history of feminism in the United States and bisexual women, and guaranteeing equal access to (Evans, 2003). The first wave of feminism in the United health care, generally, third-wave feminism is not thought of States is usually marked by the women’s rights convention as an activist movement. This is because there doesn’t seem held in 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York. This included the to be a collective identity. In fact, third-wave feminists reject writing of The Declaration of Sentiments by Elizabeth the notion of collective identity and refuse to be categorized Cady Stanton, as well as others, whose goal was because they embrace disunity (Gilmore, 2001, p. 218). establishing legal identity for women separate from their Much of social movement theory argues that collective fathers and husbands. This wave crested with the identity is crucial to social movement formation and ulti- ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, finally mately the ability to challenge existing structures of power. winning the right to vote for women in the United States Feminist social movements in the past have been said to (Klosko & Klosko, 1999, p. 11). engage in struggles on two levels: over meanings and over The second wave of feminism began with the con- the distribution of resources for society. For example, in sciousness-raising groups of the late 1950s and early 1960s. the first wave of feminism women’s nature had to be Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique (1963) helped viewed in a new way before women were seen as worthy of define “the problem with no name” that many middle-class a political resource: the right to vote. Thus cultural change American housewives were experiencing. This problem led to political change. In the second wave of feminism a went to the core of women’s self-worth and lack of identity collective consciousness enabled women to see themselves in the public world of paid labor and their definition of self differently than just wives and mothers. This made it pos- primarily as wife and mother in the private realm of family. sible for women to exercise leadership in challenging The second wave of feminism sought equal rights for existing gender relations and eventually gain power in the women in the public sphere “kicking open” the doors to public sphere.
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