Do Periods Make Women Unsuitable for Leadership?

Kernel · 14-12-2007 1:56am #1

How many of you ladies are in positions of power over others in work? Do you think you've ever treated an employee unfairly due to your emotionally delicate state? Does this monthly failure of logic and reasoning make women unsuitable for leadership positions? What do you think?

Time Magazine · 14-12-2007 2:01am

This is an active research topic in the fields of Behavioural Finance and Corporate Leadership, within the Efficient Market framework. The empirical evidence is overwhelming that there is a statistically significant difference between the mean covariance of women's management and their menstrual cycles.

Of course many women get emotional and refuse to accept the cold, hard facts. This just proves the literature's findings.

14-12-2007 2:05am

I don't get emotional, unreasonable or illogical during my periods, well if you exclude the rare occassions I am driven demented by pain. I take a sick day then.

I have been guilty of being a complete c*nt when on a diet though.

meglome · 14-12-2007 2:09am

So let's see now... A female leader who may be affected by menstruation a couple of days a month or Bertie Ahern... hmm. Does menstruation lead to brown envelope taking? and an obvious disrespect for the electorate?*

*In case anyone missed it I’m with the women.

Agent Smith · 14-12-2007 2:39am

Kernel wrote: »

Does this monthly failure of logic and reasoning make women unsuitable for leadership positions? What do you think?

Considering the most powerfull position in the world (The office of President of the United States of America) could be held by a Women in about 11 months time,

NO

(and before someone points out that she would be past that stage in life, i know, its a point i'm making)

LadyJ · 14-12-2007 10:45am

Every woman reacts differently to their period. It is not reasonable to generalise about it tbh. Every month I used to have to stay in bed for the first two days of my period. I would vomit and pass out from the pain. I cried all the time.

Now I take the pill. Neither I nor anyone else is affected by my period anymore. It's great. I should be president!

Maple · 14-12-2007 10:51am

no, i'm old enough now to know my cycle and understand that my moods can go a little skeways at that time of the month. I know to keep my mouth shut. at work i know to be rational whereas at home i can unleash the demons and turn into an icecream scoffing hysterical freak.

Nevyn · 14-12-2007 11:30am

Does men getting distracted by thing about sex 1 out of ever 4 seconds and thier roving eye and the fact that when they are in power have affairs with sectaries and interns make them 'unfit' for power as they are too easily swayed by thier 'dumbstick' ?

Are men due to testosserone too aggressive and arrogant to be in power as they wont' listen to sense and the facts of the matter ?

Ciaran500 · 14-12-2007 11:32am

Thaedydal wrote: »

Does men getting distracted by thing about sex 1 out of ever 4 seconds and thier roving eye and the fact that when they are in power have affairs with sectaries and interns make them 'unfit' for power as they are too easily swayed by thier 'dumbstick' ?

Are men due to testosserone too aggressive and arrogant to be in power as they wont' listen to sense and the facts of the matter ?

But we're consistent

Oryx · 14-12-2007 11:46am

Answer to the question posed: No. Women are very different from men in their makeup, but professional women are not in thrall to their hormones.

Does a persons individual character make them suitable or unsuitable for leadership? Yes.

Such as a man who is powerhungry, mysoginistic, vacuous and ignorant? (I would say yes, but over half of America disagrees.

)

BanzaiBk · 14-12-2007 1:00pm

Emotionally delicate state? :rolleyes:

The odd occasion where the pain becomes overbearing I would just take a sick day. Women go through much harder times and maintain leadership positions just fine.

Walls · 14-12-2007 3:57pm

Kernel wrote: »

How many of you ladies are in positions of power over others in work? Do you think you've ever treated an employee unfairly due to your emotionally delicate state? Does this monthly failure of logic and reasoning make women unsuitable for leadership positions? What do you think?

The question itself is nonsense. Women do not have a monthly failure of logic and reasoning. Women do not automatically enter an emotionally delicate state. Women are not unsuitable for leadership positions on the basis of gender. Such a question revealed an irrational view of the world and cannot be discussed as a realistic proposition.

Wibbs · 14-12-2007 7:45pm

Thaedydal wrote: »

Does men getting distracted by thing about sex 1 out of ever 4 seconds and thier roving eye and the fact that when they are in power have affairs with sectaries and interns make them 'unfit' for power as they are too easily swayed by thier 'dumbstick' ?

Are men due to testosserone too aggressive and arrogant to be in power as they wont' listen to sense and the facts of the matter ?

Nope it's their dumbstick and their testosterone that often drives their need for power. More power=more status+more resources=more sexually available women.

There was a study a few years back that found many of the top women in top companies had higher than average testosterone. Seems power and testosterone come as a package. Which is no great surprise as it's a mans club shaped my the needs of men for millenia.

I'm sure if women had run that world for as long, testosterone would have been a liability.

Wibbs · 14-12-2007 7:49pm

Walls wrote: »

The question itself is nonsense. Women do not have a monthly failure of logic and reasoning. Women do not automatically enter an emotionally delicate state.

Some do though. I've seen it. I've lived with it. I've seen a hugely bright and confident woman go through a deep depression once a month for days. It can be huge change to the point of debilitation in some women. Actually very hard to see someone go through it so often. If treatment(pill etc) is available the change in the quality of their mental life can be unreal. Point is it's usually fixable or you can work around it. I mean some men can be over aggressive boors and that's down to hormones to a large extent too. I think it's easier to spot them though as it is consistent.

Nightwish · 14-12-2007 8:46pm

I think women should be banned from driving, leading countries, holding any position of authority due to their uncontrollable mood swings, PMT etc. From personal experience, I would be dangerous in authority.

Wrt to Hilary in 11 months time - I believe she's post menopausal, so she should be safe.

Nevyn · 15-12-2007 4:53am

Nightwish wrote: »

I think women should be banned from driving, leading countries, holding any position of authority due to their uncontrollable mood swings, PMT etc. From personal experience, I would be dangerous in authority.

Wrt to Hilary in 11 months time - I believe she's post menopausal, so she should be safe.

Oryx · 15-12-2007 11:53am

Im a moody bint when I have pms, as anyone who knows me will testify. But I have NEVER let it influence in how I deal with people at work.

To say it should exclude women from positons of authority is bollocks

JC 2K3 · 15-12-2007 12:10pm

Thaedydal wrote: »

fúcking charming

So you want to tell that to the other female heads of state around the world ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_Macapagal-Arroyo {resident of the philaphines

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pratibha_Patil President of India

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_McAleese president of Ireland.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Clark Prime Minister of New Zealand

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristina_Fern%C3%A1ndez_de_Kirchner President of Argentina

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Merkel Chancellor of Germany.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Johnson-Sirleaf president of Liberia,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luisa_Diogo prime minister of Mozambique

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Bachelet President of Chile

:rolleyes:

But they're all post-menopausal(or very likely to be, judging by their ages).

Oryx · 15-12-2007 12:14pm

JC 2K3 wrote: »

But they're all post-menopausal(or very likely to be, judging by their ages).

Ah so they only became interested in politics and pursued any career ambitions when their hormones gave up? Hmmmmmm.

JC 2K3 · 15-12-2007 12:30pm

Exactly.

(I love stupid threads where half the posters are light-heartedly commenting/taking the píss and the rest are being dead serious and getting píssed off at the former as if they were being serious)

Kernel · 17-12-2007 3:06am

Walls wrote: »

The question itself is nonsense. Women do not have a monthly failure of logic and reasoning. Women do not automatically enter an emotionally delicate state. Women are not unsuitable for leadership positions on the basis of gender. Such a question revealed an irrational view of the world and cannot be discussed as a realistic proposition.

I dunno.. So far, Ibids post is swaying me towards the 'they shouldn't have their finger on the button' side of the fence....

Nightwish · 17-12-2007 9:52am

I was only joking btw....I was poking fun at how I'm an irrational lunatic.

tallaght01 · 17-12-2007 10:11am

Thaedydal wrote: »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_Macapagal-Arroyo {resident of the philaphines

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pratibha_Patil President of India

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_McAleese president of Ireland.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Clark Prime Minister of New Zealand

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristina_Fern%C3%A1ndez_de_Kirchner President of Argentina

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Merkel Chancellor of Germany.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Johnson-Sirleaf president of Liberia,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luisa_Diogo prime minister of Mozambique

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Bachelet President of Chile

Whilst obviously I disagree that women shouldn't hold positions of power....a lot of the above are nutcases or are highly ineffectual.

biko · 17-12-2007 10:44am

Once a woman has managed to break the glass ceiling, crush the competition, learned the secret handshakes and get to a position of actual power she's too old to menstruate.

Susannahmia · 17-12-2007 7:20pm

That's a total generalisation.Periods don't affect my moods at all, everyones different.

utick · 24-12-2007 11:30pm

agent smith wrote: »

Considering the most powerfull position in the world (The office of President of the United States of America) could be held by a Women in about 11 months time,

NO

(and before someone points out that she would be past that stage in life, i know, its a point i'm making)

i am sure that we wont make the mistake of electing her

Ayden · 28-12-2007 2:59am

I'm usually in charge of training new aids, and orienting newly hired aids when I work "the floor". I can honestly say that as far as I can remember, I haven't been too hard on any one of them because of my discomfort, pain, headache, swelling, etc.

On the other hand, I have been known to wear a T-shirt that says, "I have PMS and the ability to fire you!" on dress-down days that applied.:p Sometimes I think that a woman president would be really cool, then I wonder how bad her "monthlies" get. Maybe she'll wake up some morning and decide that the only way to get any relief is to "push the pretty, big, red button".:eek: Of course, the up-side to all of this is age. I'm finally beginning to enjoy as long as 3mos at a time without any of that, and the months that it does come, it's not as long as it used to be. I'm SO looking forward to full-blown menopause. For now, I'm just enjoying the fact that the pre-pausal stuff can be such a fun relief.:D

Time Magazine · 28-12-2007 8:43pm

Kernel wrote: »

I dunno.. So far, Ibids post is swaying me towards the 'they shouldn't have their finger on the button' side of the fence....

Hehehe

DublinWriter · 29-12-2007 9:53am

Thaedydal wrote: »

Does men getting distracted by thing about sex 1 out of ever 4 seconds and thier roving eye and the fact that when they are in power have affairs with sectaries and interns make them 'unfit' for power as they are too easily swayed by thier 'dumbstick' ?

Ahh yes. The old neo-con device of judging a leader by his ability to keep his trousers up.

By applying this rule we now know that JFK and Clinton were two of the worst and most evil presidents in history and that Nixon and Bush Jnr. were the very best.

BTW good call on leaving Margaret Thatcher, Imelda Markos, Winnie Mandela and Golda Mehr off your list!

WindSock · 29-12-2007 1:05pm

Margaret Thatcher is not a real Woman. She is made of Iron and stuck a luxury tax on period aids.

SubjectSean · 29-12-2007 1:09pm

meglome wrote: »

*In case anyone missed it I’m with the women.

Lets hope this strategy pays off for you, best of luck

Do Periods Make Women Unsuitable for Leadership?

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