The Influence of Mother-Leaders on Women’s Pursuit of Leadership
Document Type
Event
Faculty Mentor
Elizabeth Goryunova
Abstract
This research investigates whether there is a relationship between a woman being raised by a mother in a position of leadership and her decision to pursue a leadership role herself as an adult. Because the relationship between the professional role a mother occupies and the professional role her daughter chooses is inadequately addressed in the existing literature, this study sought to narrow that gap and shed light on into how and why women choose a leadership path. Using a phenomenological methodology, I conducted a series of structured, one-hour interviews to explore women’s childhood, adolescent, and early adult experiences, with a focus on their family of origin, and analyzed results for commonalities in participants’ lived experiences that may indicate maternal or other influences on their development as leaders. Findings suggest that parental attachment is more significant in girls’ leadership development than their mothers’ employment status or occupation. These results offer insight into familial influences on the emergence of leadership skills and ambitions in girls and women and suggest additional avenues for understanding connections between mothering and leadership. Keywords: Women’s leadership, leadership development, gender, parenting, working mother, maternal leadership
The Influence of Mother-Leaders on Women’s Pursuit of Leadership
This research investigates whether there is a relationship between a woman being raised by a mother in a position of leadership and her decision to pursue a leadership role herself as an adult. Because the relationship between the professional role a mother occupies and the professional role her daughter chooses is inadequately addressed in the existing literature, this study sought to narrow that gap and shed light on into how and why women choose a leadership path. Using a phenomenological methodology, I conducted a series of structured, one-hour interviews to explore women’s childhood, adolescent, and early adult experiences, with a focus on their family of origin, and analyzed results for commonalities in participants’ lived experiences that may indicate maternal or other influences on their development as leaders. Findings suggest that parental attachment is more significant in girls’ leadership development than their mothers’ employment status or occupation. These results offer insight into familial influences on the emergence of leadership skills and ambitions in girls and women and suggest additional avenues for understanding connections between mothering and leadership. Keywords: Women’s leadership, leadership development, gender, parenting, working mother, maternal leadership
