Contributed by Alana Elsner
This is a tale of two women, exactly three decades and one pond removed. One is the United Kingdom’s first female prime minister, Margaret Thatcher; the other, America’s first serious female presidential contender, Hillary Clinton. Both bobbed their hair and prepared for battle. Gender was a much-examined factor in both races, and the public was forced to consider the role of women in executive power. But identity politics did not tell the whole story, and both candidates were evaluated on the strength of their policy positions.
Looking back at both women’s campaigns reveals subtle nuances about the portrayal of femininity in leadership. Believing that men and women rule in the same way is a little like convincing yourself that a pantsuit compliments your figure. Just as women do not fit perfectly into men’s clothes, they cannot easily be placed into a same executive leadership style.
I was recently invited to speak at Columbia Business School’s annual Women in Business conference. The topic of this year’s conference was “Success… Your Way: Share Your Vision and Find Your Voice.” As often happens, many of the panel discussions, regardless of the specified matters at hand, turned to the work-life topic. At the networking event at the end of the day, one of the attendees asked the question on everyone’s mind: “Why do women in business spend so much time obsessing over work-life fit? And why don’t men spend an equal amount of time focused on the tricky navigation of a personal life while excelling in their careers?”
There is one word that describes why I go to the