I was recently signed up to some leadership training through my work. While investigating the website of the folks running it I discovered another leadership course: "Leadership for Women". How, I wondered, could this course be different from the one I was already signed up to? Or more to the point, why would it be different?
I read through all the information looking for some explanation as to why the organisers of this course believe women need different leadership training. All I found was subtle implications that women are more emotional than men. This is framed both positively and negatively, with references to women needing to keep their emotions under control but also being more intuitive and empathic. Regardless of how they spin things, this is sexism at work.
This shouldn't come as a surprise, but men have emotions too (yes, it's true!) and it is just as important for them to learn how to use and control them effectively in a leadership environment as it is for women. I refuse to believe that any part of the "Leadership for Women" course wouldn't be just as relevant to male leaders. Male leaders need to learn how to maintain work/life balance just as much as female leaders and male leaders need to learn how to ‘deal with guilt, jealousy and criticism’ effectively as well. Why would you target a course covering these specific topics at women? Why would anyone want to attend a course where the organisers were already displaying such prejudice against you? I find it hard to believe that this is even an effective marketing tactic.
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