Leadership across the Gender Divide: Women's Leadership Roles - Past and Present, via the Dual Prism of Sexism and Racism

The three entrenched ‘-isms’of sexism, racism and ageism converge and conspire as deeply entrenched social and psychological constructs to ‘sustain’ inequalities and inequities in many if not most human realms of endeavor: economic, business, political, academic, communal and artistic spheres represent an incomplete list. In focusing on the first two constructs of sexism and racism, this paper takes a discursive historical perspective, investigating the role of religion and religious institutions, and the role of language in moulding the social constructs around gender and its divide. It also reviews positive movements: i.e. progress in redressing power imbalances, recognition of ancient and more recent obstacles in moving through each (forces maintaining the status quo), and thoughts on how to override some of the obstacles, in the light of the potent forces of 21st century technological break-throughs, simultaneously with, or despite, the human condition of gloom and doom (Arendt, 1958). Particular reference is made to the role of 1. The helping professions and semi-professions, and 2. The role of expressive and performing arts (literature, music and dance inter alia), in breaking new ground to help level the playing field. Whilst no longer a chimera, it is argued that the goal of a level playing field remains an aspiration rather than a reality for the majority of the world ´population, yet progress continues to be made, much of it based on the ground-breaking labour of women from the past. The contribution of a number of women (and some men) as pioneers in their respective fields is referred to as providing grist for the above mill of an iterative and evolutionary rather than a revolutionary social process –e.g. Biblical role models, nineteenth century British social activists, professionals and semi-professionals, expressive and performance artists, and political leaders. This paper does not purport to be provide a comprehensive enumeration of progress of women in all fields. However it does provide a possible taste of the future, from a discursive yet selective search of the past –both ancient and modern.