Women as Leaders: Understanding God's Call in our Lives

Dr. Kathleen Patterson and Dr. Myra Dingman

This article provided by the Engstrom Institute

The rise of women joining the global workforce continues to be of great interest. Not only are organizations affected from this shift of women moving from primarily working in their homes to joining the workforce, but communities, cities, and even governments are taking notice of both the ramifications of and opportunities for women as they join the workforce. Statistics in January, 2009 show that for the first time women make up more than 50% of the workforce in America. According to the U.S. Congresses' Joint Economic Committee study, 72.7% of women between the ages of 24 to 54 were employed in 2008. Should women work outside of the home or be in leadership roles? A myriad of beliefs exists on this subject, ranging from a woman's place is in the home to a role of women as empowered and strong.

We choose a different road; we believe that a woman can be duplicitous: a woman who loves her home life and joyfully serves in the role of helpmate and mother, and a woman who is a great leader, used by God to serve in a role that changes organizations, governments, and individual lives while contributing to the workplace with strength. With so many women working, the example to successfully balance home and work life is found in the life of the Proverbs 31 woman.

This article takes a brief look at the rise of women in the workforce. After examining the Proverbs 31 woman, we present strategies for women to balance both home and work life. We end by encouraging women to follow all that God has for them, while realizing there is no perfect picture of what a woman should be, other than to follow with diligence the call on her life before the Lord.

History of Women Joining the Workforce

Although less is known about women joining the workforce outside of the Westernized countries, we are beginning to learn of this shift throughout the globe. For example, in the United Arab Emirates, "Women make up about 70 percent of the college and university population, and their participation in the workforce has multiplied six-fold since the 1970s (about 25 percent currently). Emiratis continue to place a strong emphasis on traditional family and home values, but the government actively encourages women to enter the workforce as well." For many nations, this shift from women serving as full-time homemakers to both full-time homemakers AND full-time employees outside of the home began as a slow progression beginning in the mid- to late-1800s. America has been a front-runner in women's rights, the right for women to vote, and women joining the workforce in both traditional and non-traditional work roles. Just over 100 years, women in the American workforce grew from 15% to 73%; although for most of the world, the percentage of women in the workforce still hovers around 25%. Although the earnings gap between males and females has narrowed since 1980, as of 2008, women in America are paid 78 cents for every dollar that a male receives for the same job. According to the UN Development Fund for Women, "Most women throughout the world work in low-skilled, low-wage jobs. They are paid less than men in nearly every country in the world and they work longer hours." For many women, according to the report, "Their work often is dangerous and many women risk their lives each time they go to their jobs." Understandably, women entering the workforce have not been a smooth, easy shift. Further, many Christian women wonder if working outside of the home is biblical. They ask questions like, "How will I balance between raising my children, keeping the house in order, AND working in a full-time job?"

Proverbs 31 Woman

To answer these questions, we first reiterate that we believe women can be successful mothers and wives while also being successful employees and leaders in the workforce. So where does this dual role thinking come from? It comes directly from Scripture.

To quote the great standby Proverbs 31, we look at the woman of "noble character" (verse 10). She is exemplary in both roles. Her husband has full confidence in her (verse 11), and her children call her blessed (verse 28). Further, with her home life responsibilities she has time to be up before the sun (verse 15), she has earnings (verse 16), and she is profitable (verse 18). She is vigorous in her work (verse 17), generous (verse 20), and well-prepared (verse 21); and if that is not enough, she is also clothed with "strength and dignity" and has the ability to laugh (verse 25)—all while speaking with wisdom (verse 26). It would appear from scripture that Godly women are able to successfully balance both home and work life in a way to glorify the Lord.

Strategies for Home and Work Balance

The rise of women in the workforce has shown significant improvements for women, families, and even poverty levels; and yet, most feel there is still a long way to go. A recent report showed that women today have two main issues in the workforce: (1) learning to find the balance between work life and family life and (2) learning to find the most effective way to communicate with others.

The first issue, the balancing act, is often a source of real struggle for women in the workforce. In learning to find the balance in work life and family life one must consider such factors as having children, then the inevitable childcare, the ever-increasing needs of eldercare, family life in general, running a household, the economics of it all, and the fit between personal as well as professional needs. The balancing act can often cause women to have conflicted feelings, wishing to be a valuable contributor to the workforce but also having the reality of caring for one's family; this conflict within self is often accompanied by feelings of guilt—and questions one to ask if they are getting it all right and is it all worth it. In 1996, Netemeyer and colleagues developed the work-family conflict scale to help an employee measure the degree of the conflicts between managing their home life and that of their work life. Some of these questions include:

1. The demands of my family or spouse/partner interfere with work-related activities

2. Things I want to do at work don't get done because of the demands of my family or spouse/partner

3. My home life interferes with my responsibilities at work such as getting to work on time, accomplishing daily tasks, and working overtime

Women all over the globe are dealing with the same balance issues and trying to understand how to "have it all"—both the successful family and home and the successful career, in fact our research has shown that women in the United States, the Middle East, Africa, and India all share a common bond in desiring to be great at both home and work. The main thing to remember is the call God has for each woman individually, and to follow that call with diligence.

The second issue, effective communication in the work force, can keep things in balance or throw things off quite dramatically. The good news here is that effective communication is a skill that can be practiced and learned! We often hear the adage for women about being assertive without the appearance of being aggressive, and that is a key in women's communications. Be forthright, be accurate, and be honest, however, do it with finesse. Clearly communicating what you want and need, with the element of tact, will often get you exactly what you want. Sometimes it truly is not what you are asking for, but how you ask. Learning to be an effective communicator at work will only improve the quality and satisfaction for women in their jobs.

Conclusion

Around the globe, women are joining the workforce in record numbers. This shift has not been easy: women earn a fraction of their male counterpoints, often work longer hours, continue to have the same home responsibilities as before they went to work, and face the challenges of learning to balance both their home and work life—and try to be successful in both, and while this is not an easy mountain to climb, if God calls you to that mountain, then get going. We see many biblical women who were great leaders, such as Deborah, Ruth, and Esther. We also see further evidence from a review of the Proverbs 31 woman. The key is that all these women grew into exactly the role God had for them.

Christian women feel called by God and empowered to offer their gifts, skills, and creativity to the workforce and enjoy the stimulating work and relationships of colleagues. There is no cookie cutter to determine the role of anyone, we all fit exactly into the mold God has for us, and that will not be the same for every woman; some women will be great leaders, some will be great homemakers, some will be great in the marketplace, and so on—the key, again, is to follow the call God has for YOU!

The role of women follows much like Solomon suggests in Ecclesiastes that there is a season for everything. We have found this true in our own lives, that there are seasons we have encountered as women—a time for all things—but keep in mind that it is God's timing and not ours. We find a time for family and a time to lead, God shows us the way, He opens the door, and all we do is walk in His goodness. We urge you to do the same.

In order to continue to ease the process of women entering the workforce, women must learn from mistakes of other women, as well as to learn and grow in leadership positions and in entrepreneurial endeavors. This will benefit women, families and organizations. This is a win-win scenario for all!

About the Authors:

Kathleen Patterson, Ph.D. Email: kathpat@regent.edu

Dr. Patterson is noted as an expert on servant leadership. She coordinates an annual Servant Leadership Research Roundtable on the east coast in Virginia Beach, Virginia at Regent University, where, each year both scholars and practitioners meet together to engage in servant leadership discourse. As well, she also coordinates a west coast Servant Leadership Roundtable each year in Las Vegas, Nevada at the American Society of Business and Behavioral Sciences (ASBBS) conference. She travels internationally speaking on issues of servant leadership as well as women in leadership.

Myra E. Dingman, Ph.D. Email: myradin@regent.edu

Dr. Dingman is the managing and production editor for several academic journals including the International Journal of Leadership Studies, the Journal of Biblical Perspectives in Leadership, and the Journal of Practical Consulting. She provides consulting services in management and leadership development and has been a guest speaker at women's retreats, associations, APA writing workshops, and in businesses. She is involved with the International Leadership Association, International Coach Federation, Succeed to Lead Consulting Group, LifeMatters Inc., and Transformational Leadership Coaching.