Paradox of gender and leadership in India: a critical review of Mardaani

Abstract

This paper sheds light on the paradoxical and dynamic nature of gender and leadership in India through a critical review of Indian film 'Mardaani' (meaning: mannish). The review shows that masculine stereotypes of leadership are simultaneously reinforced and shattered in the Indian context, and that despite all the odds, women's role in organisations is characterised of dynamism and change. The paper situates this review in the broader context of gender, employment and leadership in India and offers a critical analysis. The analysis has two implications. Firstly, it indicates that women are equally capable of demonstrating worthy leadership. Secondly, it highlights that being a leader, or 'mannish', in the workplace does not mean that women are not responsible for the domestic and caring duties at home. In fact, female leaders in India continue to do the double-shift by struggling to balance their roles in the workplace and their personal lives.

Demonstrating The Importance of Cultural Considerations At End-Of-Life Utilising The Perspective of Indian Patients With Cancer

“…It is possible that the desire to maintain a ghting spirit re ects powerful male stereotypes of being courageous or resilient in the face of misfortunes [28] but seeing them relatively unprepared to accept inescapable loss or adversity. In India, there is a strong expectation that men should uphold a fearless and stoic attitude when encountering di culties or hardships and this is an expected coping strategy [29]. These ndings challenge previous psycho-oncology research in India reporting that cancer patients have a pessimistic and fatalistic attitude towards cancer [30,31].…”

Impact of employee's political skill on abusive supervision: does gender matter?

“…Furthermore, Chukwuorji et al (in press) has discussed the need of treating gender as a moderator in various social cognition aspects; therefore, subordinate gender is treated as a moderator between the relation of political skill and abusive supervision. Syed and Tariq (2017) also talked about the difference in educational and work opportunities provided to men and women to justify investigating the moderating role of gender due to inherent differences. In addition, as suggested by Kimura (2015), the intentions of use and effect of political skill might be different for men and women.…”

The diversity of professional Canadian Muslim women: Faith, agency, and ‘performing’ identity

“…Drawing on intersectionality as a theoretical framework (Crenshaw 1997; Syed & Tariq, 2017), this paper explores the ways in which young professional Muslim women construct and ‘perform’ their identities in the Canadian context. Building on research examining identity construction of ethnic minorities in the workplace (Bell & Nkomo, 2001) and the lived experiences of Muslim women (Essers & Benschop, 2009; Syed & Tariq, 2017). We examine multidimensionality of the identities of professional Muslim women in terms of how they negotiate their identities while confronting stereotypes and navigating organizational interactions (Shams, 2015).…”