Women’s leadership potential praised at major international conference

29th June 2009

Simon Harding

Women have contributed more to global gross domestic product (GDP) in the last decade than new technologies and emerging economies like Indian and China, claims MA Roomi, Director of Research at the Centre for Women’s Enterprise at the University of Bedford, speaking at the Centre’s ‘Women Leadership Conference’. Characteristics like self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation and empathy make women superior leaders in both politics and business.

Drawing a distinction between ‘economic growth’, characterised by national economic statistics, and a more balanced and equitable ‘economic development’, which improves the lives of the poor, Roomi argues that ‘development’ is best stimulated by encouraging women to enter politics and to take more prominent roles in business. However, opportunities for businesswomen in rural areas are limited by a lack of credit and pressure on women to restrict themselves to activities involving ‘women’s work’.

The links between women’s participation in business and development (namely, improving living standards) are well established. Research into microfinance loans suggests that businesswomen spend more of their income on educating their children, buying better food and generally raising the living standards of their families in comparison with similar small-scale male entrepreneurs.

Increasing female involvement in business also plays an important role in reducing birth-rates in poor countries. If women can become breadwinners, not only is their social status elevated in what are often patriarchal societies, but there is also less pressure on them to produce children as future wage earners. Moreover, when a woman is pregnant, she cannot work and cannot earn money. By enabling women to set up small businesses and earn a regular income, microfinance institutions such as the Grameen Bank, can help trigger economic development.

Despite optimism on the local level, women’s participation in national politics across the globe is disproportionately low. According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, in no region outside of Scandinavia do women make up more than 25% of parliamentary representatives, ranging from 21.3% in the combined Americas, down to just 9.1% in the Arab states. At present work remains to be done to fully harness the leadership potential of women in national politics. 

See also: ‘Women’s moot pleads for education and exploration of new horizons’, Faryal Najeeb, The International News (Pakistan), 26th June 2009