feminism – Page 25

By Jordan Winberg

The following article is part of a multi-part series of excerpts from the author’s senior thesis. Begin with Part 1.

Low Self Esteem Found in Women

In addition to low levels of assertion, lower self-esteem in women may be harming their ability to perform well and/or be perceived as good leaders.

In 2004, Dove beauty products set out to obtain more information about how women view themselves, and how this can affect their life. The study was conducted by issuing surveys to 10 different countries around the world, and 3,200 women, ages 18-64, completed the survey. Results showed that only 2% of their respondents would use the word “beautiful” to describe themselves, a majority of respondents were not satisfied with their appearance, and a majority of respondents equated physical attractiveness with beauty (Etcoff, Orbach, Scott, & D’Agostino, 2004). These results suggest that a majority of women tend to have low self-esteem regarding their outward body image.

Continue reading →

Assertiveness in Women: Is it Different from Men?

To begin, aggression/assertiveness is commonly thought to effect leadership ability, an idea supported by scientific evidence. Very low levels of assertiveness are associated with the inability to complete tasks and achieve goals, while markedly high levels of assertiveness are associated with negative relationship building (Ames & Flynn, 2007). Therefore, if women are perceived as having low-levels of assertiveness, they will not be received as being effective leaders (Ames & Flynn, 2007).