Discuss gender demographics in leadership.

Answers will vary. An important, emergent leadership question is whether women and men lead differently. Historical stereotypes persist, and people characterize successful managers as having more male-oriented attributes than female-oriented attributes. Although legitimate gender differences may exist, the same leadership traits may be interpreted differently in a man and a woman because of stereotypes. The real issue should be leader behaviors that are not bound by gender stereotypes.
Early evidence shows that women tend to use a more people-oriented style that is inclusive and empowering. Women managers excel in positions that demand strong interpersonal skills. Even though more and more women are assuming positions of leadership in organizations, interestingly, much of what we know about leadership is based on studies that were conducted on men. We need to know more about the ways women lead.
Recent research looks at the phenomenon of the glass cliff. The glass cliff represents a trend in organizations wherein more women are placed in difficult leadership situations. Women perceive these assignments as necessary to accept due to the difficulty of attaining leadership positions and lack of alternate opportunities combined with male in-group favoritism. On the other hand, men perceive that women are better suited to difficult leadership positions because women are better decision makers. Please see the section "Emerging Issues in Leadership" for more information.