Final answer:
Research indicates that women tend to practice an interpersonal style of leadership, focusing on employee morale and welfare, while men tend to practice a task-oriented style focused on accomplishing tasks. Women also tend to exhibit transformational leadership characteristics, while men are more likely to be transactional leaders. Historical factors have limited opportunities for women to hold leadership roles, contributing to their underrepresentation in leadership positions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Gender and Leadership
Research conducted by Eagly & Johnson (1990) found that women tend to practice an interpersonal style of leadership, focusing on the morale and welfare of employees, while men tend to practice a task-oriented style, focusing on accomplishing tasks. However, these differences were less pronounced in organizational studies compared to laboratory experiments or surveys. Another meta-analysis by Eagly, Johannesen-Schmidt, & van Engen (2003) found that women tended to exhibit transformational leadership characteristics, while men were more likely to be transactional leaders. These studies suggest that gender-related differences in leadership styles are influenced by the organization's culture and reflect inherent strengths each gender brings to leadership practice.
Additionally, historical factors have limited the opportunities for women to hold leadership roles throughout history, contributing to the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions. However, it's important to note that the lack of representation does not mean women are not interested in leading or that male historians have purposely excluded female leaders from historical records.