Welcoming female leadership

Female bosses, or the lack of them, have been a hot topic across the world. Many people are reluctant to have a female supervisor citing their lack of leadership skills or assertiveness.

On the other hand, people believe that a woman is more empathetic and can multi-task making her a good leader. Yet, the number of women in top level jobs is few and far between.

In the view of International Women's Day on March 8, we asked some job holders in the Capital whether they would be open to the idea of working under a female boss. Here's what they had to say.

Grishma Bista
Zumba Instructor; and student at Kathmandu School of Law

I've found that women and men are more sensitive when it comes to dealing with the opposite sex at work. For instance, if a female supervisor has to say something to her male subordinates, she is more careful than when dealing with her female subordinates. And vice versa. I think that's because we are more comfortable with our own sex. My experiences with both male and female bosses have been positive so far. I haven't seen any glaring differences, but I would definitely like to work under a female boss. It takes a lot for a woman to reach a top level post, I believe, as we have to deal with our cultural barriers. It's always the woman who has to step up when it has something to do with home related work or festivities which means they have to kind of hold back from their duties at work. It's the cultural factor that we just feel obliged to do more and hence, carry more responsibilities. While men just climb higher and higher with ease in their career ladders, women often lose a few years due to factors like marriage and rearing children. My mother actually quit her job in law because she felt that she had to take care of us.

Upakar Pandey
Product Coordinator, Incessant Rain Animation Studio

In my opinion, women have this innate ability to balance every aspect of their life with ease. That is why should a woman reach a high level management post, she will do her work very well. Women are as conscious of their responsibilities as men, so they will not fail or slack in their duties at work. Though I have a male boss at present, I do have the experience of working with a female supervisor in the past which makes me confidently say that their ability to lead a team and their supportiveness makes working with them very comfortable.

Ayush Shrestha Joshi
Communications and Outreach Coordinator, Search for Common Ground Nepal

I believe that organizations today have opened up to the idea of having women in top management positions. I don't believe in the 'genderfication' of positions in organizations—the best candidate with the right skills should get the top positions regardless of their gender.

I have worked under an amazing female boss when I was with the radio program Saathi Sanga Manka Kura, and I learnt empathy from her. A mother, a career-driven woman and a loving wife, she balanced her life perfectly. She was inspiring in every way. What I also learnt from her was to appreciate the small tasks and to give credit to where it is due. Women specialize in multi-tasking and they understand what it means to deliberate work, ensure quality, and also share authority with subordinates to materialize results.

At Search for Common Ground Nepal, I work with the coolest male boss. He is compassionate, empathetic, and is always open towards ideas. But most importantly, he acknowledges and values female leadership. I feel it's not about gender, it's the personal

Prabritti Nepal
Mentor didi, Rukmini Foundation

My immediate supervisors have always been men except for my current boss. Each of my previous bosses was very nice to work with so I don't really see much difference in having a male or a female boss. If I had to pinpoint any difference it would probably be that my female boss is more sensitive to smaller issues and minute details. She can understand things without needing us to point it out to her. It's probably also because of the fact that she is a woman who is managing her family and work duties so well that I am deeply influenced by her. It's sad that there are fewer women in top management posts though the numbers are increasing these days, of course. The reason behind the scarcity of women in higher level jobs is due to the fact that their family duties and work requirements often clash.