Women: Power, Leadership, &

Social Change

PSYC 3302010

Tammy Lynn Kirichenko

• I'm tough, I'm ambitious, and I know exactly what I want.  If that makes me a bitch, okay.  ~Madonna Ciccone

• You don't have to be anti-man to be pro-woman.  ~Jane Galvin Lewis

Barriers to

Power

POWERemPOWERment

Exercise #1

Stereotypes

Men are taught to apologize for their weaknesses, women for their strengths. 

~Lois Wyse

Stereotypes

• BE FEMININE– Smile– Clothing: dresses,

skirts, heels– Makeup, hair– Polite– Listen to others– Sympathize/empathize– Be gentle and kind

• ACT LIKE A MAN– Don’t cry– Be brave– Be strong (physically)– Take charge– Be in control– Be assertive– Stand up for yourself

and others

Role Models

Exercise #2

When you were a child/adolescent whom (females only) did you admire? Why?

Describe one woman whom you admire now. Why

do you admire her? (e.g., qualities, characteristics,

actions, philosophy)

What do you have in common with the people you admire(d)? Did you strive to become more like them?

Leadership

Leadership

• When women and men work together in groups, men are more likely than women to emerge as leaders– Socialization– Communication styles– Leadership styles

The Power of Women 1. Mental strength: e.g., creative solutions; focus on getting

things done rather than simply getting things done their way

2. Identity strength: e.g., maintain a strong sense of themselves and their values in whatever situations they find themselves; can deal with change and uncertainty

3. Emotional strength: e.g., understand their own feelings and the feelings of others; anticipate the emotional consequences of life situations, which makes them particularly skilled at making major decisions

4. Relational strength: e.g., create strong social networks that support them during stressful times and inspire others to give their very best and to work toward a common good

Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, Yale University

Styles of Power & InfluenceInfluence over others depends on how much and what kind of power we have

The Bases of Power (French & Raven, 1959)

• Reward power — who controls the rewards that we want• Coercive power — fear of punishment• Legitimate power — believing that a person has the right to

influence us• Referent power — admiration, affection for, or a wish to emulate

someone else• Expert power — presumed knowledge or expertise

Are any of these types of power more likely to be in the hands of either men or women?

Things a Woman Should Never Do … For Free

By Veronica Monet

Article Discussion

• Power Issues– Kissing– Money– Marriage– Sex

Discussion topics:1. Who has the power in these situations? 2. How/when might there be shifts in that

power?

Misuse/Abuse of Power or Disempowering?

• Women’s sexuality– Barsexual: heterosexual girl or woman who partakes

in any sort of sexual or promiscuous activity with another female to get attention from males. This usually takes the form of making out, and to a lesser extent, grinding or dry humping with another female (Urban Dictionary).

• Objectifying oneself encourages the notion that women ARE objects

• Do these behaviours undermine feminism?

• The pleasure we derive from displaying our bodies ‘for’ men may have its roots in male domination but the more we show that we like it too, the more that power dynamic is challenged and the fewer rights men can assume over our bodies. – Natasha Forrest, The F Word

Social Change

• Feminist movements• All female bands• Women in politics• Women in higher education

– SWAP– Women’s Studies, Psychology of Women

I am Woman

Helen Reddy1972

I am Woman

Consider the lyrics to I am Woman

• How have things changed since this song was written? (e.g., in terms of women’s

roles, rights, attitudes)

• If you only read the lyrics, and had no prior knowledge of this song, would you know that it was written 38 years ago?