Holmes, J.. (2008) Gender and leadership: some socio-pragmatic considerations. Journal and Proceedings of the Gender Awareness in Language Education Special Interest Group of the Japan Association for Language Teaching, Vol.1 (No.1). pp. 4-16.

Abstract

The double bind facing women in positions of power is widely recognised: if they “do power” women leaders are regarded as unfeminine; if they “do femininity” they are regarded as unfit to lead. This conflict is evidenced in interesting ways in the discourse of the women leaders we have recorded in the Wellington Language in the Workplace Project. One resolution of the conflict involves embracing social roles which acceptably combine “doing power” with enacting a feminine gender identity, roles such as “queen” or “mother”. In doing effective leadership at work, women leaders often draw on different roles for different tasks. The analysis of specific interactions where these complex identities are performed indicates that discursive features enacting authority are frequently followed by some kind of politeness-driven, face-oriented attenuation strategy, such as an apologetic comment, or a friendly, informal overture, often expressed in a humorous key. This paper illustrates some of the diverse ways in which such politeness strategies serve as resources to facilitate the reconciliation of the apparently inconsistent demands of leadership and feminine identity. The paper also raises some issues relating to post-structural approaches to language and gender research.

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