Final SL Paper

Final Service Learning Paper

Summary

       As part of a service learning project this semester in our Women and Leadership course, my group (consisting of Nena Brown, Nicole Elinoff, and Elizabeth Van Hala) decided to take action in two key areas. One goal was to honor Equal Pay Day on UCF campus, which recognizes the current pay inequity between genders and races. In order to accomplish this, we split our project into two parts: a forum and a wage gap bake sale on campus. We wanted to accomplish this in order to spread awareness about current pay inequity in the United States and also to meet a requirement for a grant received by the Women’s Studies Department.

     In order to honor Equal Pay Day, our group worked individually, whether it was conducting statistical research, project design, obtaining donations, letter writing, web design, or other types of planning. Then, as a group, we met every other week to discuss our ideas and report our progress. We researched many current statistics in regards to pay inequity and found many useful graphs and charts to help visualize the gap among genders and various ethnicities on our bake sale table. These statistics reflected our menu prices, which varied based upon the person’s identity. My boss at Hard Rock Café agreed to donate 100 cookies for the event. We took a call to action by holding a letter writing campaign, in which we wrote a letter to President Hitt asking him to honor equal pay at UCF and obtained numerous student signatures. We also made an online word press, which provided a space for people to learn more about pay inequity and what they can do to help. It looked pretty snazzy!

     Our forum, held on April 11 at 10 a.m., consisted of four volunteer speakers and our professor, Meredith Tweed, as the mediator. To prepare for the event, we gathered statistics and volunteer speakers, made fliers, advertised the event, and made the refreshments. I thought it was a great success! The place was full, fresh cookies were available, and tears were shed.

     I also decided to help volunteer with Lead Out Loud Day, held on March 30 on UCF campus. This was to help stop bullying in local elementary and middle schools. I helped chaperone the children, give out lunches, and other various tasks throughout the day from 8 am to 3 pm (though it ended at 1:30, I drove the remaining lunches to a shelter downtown).

      We succeeded as a group in all of our tasks by using a collaborative form of transformational leadership. We had no official leader, yet separately stepped in when each thought was necessary to maintain focus or remind a group member of our goal. I think we did a wonderful job fitting the numerous definitions of leadership, including the definition offered by CREA:

 “CREA visualizes leadership as a dynamic quality that is present and can be enhanced in most individuals… [and] that enables people to live their lives as they choose, with dignity and with sensitivity to other people’s choices and decisions. [CREA’s] leadership programme works on the assumption that leadership is not a fixed state of being but a process through which women assert their rights by continually evaluating relevant experiences, questioning their roles in society, challenging power structures and effectively catalyzing social change.” (Batliwala 27).

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Synthesis

      As discussed throughout many of our class texts, including Through the Labyrinth by Eagly and Carli, women must embody both masculine and feminine styles of leadership in order to negotiate their way through “the labyrinth”. The labyrinth is a metaphor for the walls and barriers a woman, especially a woman of color, must work their way through in order to reach higher echelons of power mostly held by men. This deeply ties into redefining leadership altogether, as classical traits of what makes a leader are typically masculine and exclusive and discounts feminine traits of leadership. This is apparent in our class text Closing the Leadership Gap by Marie Wilson in the chapter titled “Redefining ‘leadership’”, where she relates material from Eagly and Carli’s Through the Labyrinth. Here, Wilson discusses the dilemma women leaders face upon entering a position of power: “So once we get to the workplace, we already have two strikes against us: one, that we are females, which doesn’t match the physical look of a leader, and two, that the qualities we bring do not match the traditional actions of a leader.” (Wilson 23).

     In addition, women face extra difficulties in juggling home life and expected roles as a woman, wife, and/or mother. Wilson continues to elaborate on this, adding: “Add to that the structural impediments to anyone (male or female) who might like to be a parent and a worker- no child care, little flexibility in work hours-and you’ve made it nearly impossible for a woman to work, let alone rise. (Men, at least, can usually count on wives to pick up the slack.)” (Wilson 23). Wilson encourages women to prepare for all the inevitable “twists and turns” that will be ahead of them in order to have a better chance at success.

   These societal expectations on a woman to be  a nurturer, yet a tough leader, fitting masculine roles in order to do so, creates excess stress and many personal negotiations and sacrifices, such as personal morals and values, family time, personal health, and much more. Doesn’t it just make more sense to redefine leadership to fit anyone who shows the initiative to take personal responsibility to serve the greater good? Shouldn’t a new definition include nurturing, feminist aspects of leadership as well? It has been proven that adding women into positions of power increases profits, reduces corruption, adds insightful and various points of approach, and all around enhances and betters organizations. This is crucial to take into account.

   Despite all of this, women must still negotiate their way through the labyrinth to fit the existing masculine ideas of leadership, while still putting on a friendly demeanor as a woman. This makes it twice as hard for women to meet their goal, stuck in a man’s world with a man’s rules, giving and taking when and where necessary in order to reach their goal. As stated by Deborah Rhode, “Many traits traditionally valued of women also perpetuate women’s inequality” (Wilson, 17).

    

Reflection and Connection

     After taking this course and participating in the service learning project with my group, I view leadership completely differently. Before, I felt confined to the traditional, masculine styles and traits of leadership. I felt that in order to be successful as a respected leader, I had to hide or sacrifice the kinder, empathetic aspect of my personality in order to appear as “leadership material”. I now feel as if I can achieve power positions by making space for myself as a leader, actually viewing myself as a leader, and proving to be successful in my own way. I see more options available and am aware of the obstacles that I face as a woman in American society.

     It feels comforting to know that even though this problem exists, it is no longer simply being ignored. There are women out there who are experiencing this. They have research and solid numbers to back themselves up. They are writing about it in academia and blogs, taking calls to action, forming organizations, doing research, offering solutions. They have created a space to talk about the problem and address it, each giving what they can of themselves in order to fight for a more egalitarian society.

    This, in my opinion, is a prime definition of leadership- a new, transformational and feminist style of leadership. By this I mean using a leadership method that is inclusive, intellectual, respectful, egalitarian, humble, and communal, with a common pursuit of justice, a greater common good, enforcing changes where current issues reside, and utilizing individuals’ talents to reach these goals.

    As a group, I feel we achieved these means in working with our campus projects. We assured to include everyone in our research and were working towards something that, if corrected, would change society as a whole for the better. I know that as a female, I may have issues in my future career, whether it be pay inequity, discrimination, doubt, or sexual harassment. These are things men (especially white males) do not usually have to worry about going into the workplace. Getting this information out and more importantly, showing people why it is important and who it affects (which is everyone by the way) and using clear-cut statistical data to prove our cause, was a big process but those were our goals in pointing out the current reality of pay inequity within the United States.

    I am honored to have participated in this project, as I can be proud in knowing that I did my small part to help solve a bigger problem. And that is really all that we need. If everyone gave a little, big means can be achieved. It’s getting those people to care and get involved that’s the tricky part. I enjoyed collaborating with other young women leaders in empowering and including women in at least one aspect of our patriarchal society. It definitely taught me something about myself and gave me more confidence to be a leader in my own way.

Sources

·         Wilson, Marie. Closing the Leadership Gap: Add Women, Change Everything. New York: Penguin, 2007. 17, 23. Print.

·         Batiwala, Srilatha. "Feminist Leadership for social Transformation." Diss. AWID, 2008. Web. <http://web.creaworld.org/files/f1.pdf>.

Media Watch Assignment

Media Watch Assignment

     Barbara Mikulski, senior United States Senator from Maryland and longest-serving woman in the history of U.S. Congress, (35 years) is considered a strong leader and role model for many American women. She is the chairwoman of many subcommittees and a former U.S. Representative. She is also the longest-serving/highest-ranking Democrat who is not a present chairperson of a full standing committee. While doing research about Mikulski, many current mainstream news articles constructed her as a strong woman leader; but many times just as that- a strong woman leader.

     One Post Politics news article from The Washington Post (notoriously known for being a conservative newspaper) conveys Mikulski as an important role model for young women and includes a quote from Senator Dick Durbin who noted, “[Mikulski was] the first elected to Congress in her own right and not because of a husband or a father or someone who served before her in higher office”. The article also includes how Mikulski had to battle many stereotypes, including some that suggested women couldn’t be serious legislators.

This is a crucial observation also discussed in Eagly and Carly’s book Through the Labyrinth. The book reveals, “Gender is the first thing we notice about people, and it automatically evokes gender stereotypes…people’s stereotypes about women and leaders create resistance to women’s leadership by placing competing demands on women”. This information is important to consider, as women leaders often face the “double bind” (Eagly & Carly, pg.102), in which they have to put on a stern face and authoritative demeanor to fit the traditional leadership roles while still maintaining a softer side as a woman. Simply stated, “Female leaders face a dilemma” (101).

    This gender bias and double bind situation is also apparent in other articles, such as yet another from The Washington Post titled Barbara Mikulski, the record-breaking not-so-gentle-lady, where her actual life accomplishments are noted and recognized. However, the title itself sheds light on the gender bias, along with descriptions of Mikulski in her early career as a “onetime social worker and outspoken liberal Democrat”. If Mikulski were male, she may have been referred to as a firm, strong leader, as opposed to outspoken. Rather, her leadership would most likely not come into question.

     The article, while presenting Mikulsi in positive light, really only focuses on her achievements as the token woman. Rather than elaborating on her personal career achievements/successes, the article focuses on the fact that she is a woman in a position of leadership. Though it is important to recognize the limited number of women we have in positions of leadership and power, it is equally as important to focus on what they do as leaders, rather than simply stating that they are present and female. Several other Washington Post articles, as well as an article from The New York Times, also summed up Mikulski’s long-term career as simply the first lady of many positions

    Though it is apparent that the mainstream media’s attitudes towards women leaders has improved, it is also important to point out places where inequalities still exist until equilibrium is reached.

References

·         Pershing, Ben. "Post Local." The Washington Post News. The Washington Post, 16/04/2012. Web. 12 Apr 2012. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/maryland-politics/post/mikulski-to-become-longest-serving-woman-in-congress/2012/03/15/gIQAKkHsES_blog.html>.

·         Groer, Annie. "Post Politics." The Washington Post News. The Washington Post, 23/03/2012. Web. 12 Apr 2012. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/post/barbara-mikulski-the-record-breaking-not-so-gentle-lady/2012/03/22/gIQASJ16VS_blog.html>.

·         O'Keefe, Ed. "Post Politics: 2 Chambers." The Washington Post News. The Washington Post, 21/03/2012. Web. 12 Apr 2012. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/2chambers/post/barbara-mikulski-honored-as-longest-serving-woman-in-congress/2012/03/21/gIQA6d5JSS_blog.html>.

·         Eagly, Alice, and Linda Carli. Through the Labyrinth. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2007. 101-103. Print.

Activism Blog #5

   This past half week has been really offbeat in regards to the service learning projects at hand. I have began a rough draft letter to UCF President Hitt as part of our group's letter writing campaign in order to encourage UCF to recognize Equal Pay Day as a campus community. The letter will be revised and added to on our group meeting we will hold after class on Thursday, April 5. The process has been a bit more difficult and slow-paced as our small class grieves the loss of one of our fellow students. I feel this has impacted my ability to concentrate on the project this week but am sure that we will make this bake sale and forum even better once we have time to regain ourselves. Other than seeing Kelly in class, I've had no contact with my community partner, though I will on Thursday during our meeting.
   I don't feel that I have anything useful to offer in relating class material to the work that I have done this past half week, as I haven't accomplished much towards the final outcome. I did, however, realize the preciousness of life, my own mortality, and the importance of the motherline (which is material I discovered from this class). It made me reach out to my own mother, who in turn volunteered to speak at our forum if needed. I feel this greatly affected my personal life and hopefully the relationship I have with my mother, in a positive light.
  Though I don't have much to offer in regards to service learning input, I do feel as if the work that I will dedicate to this project in the next couple of weeks will be more passionate and have a bigger purpose. I am looking forward to putting the bake sale together, though I will miss the presence of Kathy there with us. My involvement with the bake sale at all makes me feel like I am doing something good; calling for equality and giving back.
   

Activism Blog #4

   This week was pretty eventful in regards to service learning. On Friday, March 30, the women's studies department hosted LOL (Lead Out Loud) on UCF campus. We had a good number of students visit our campus from local elementary and middle schools, where they completed activities and participated in seminars and role-playing. My hours extended from 8am until 3pm (7 hours), as I arrived early and left campus at 2 pm to bring the remainder of the lunches and snacks to the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida downtown.

   All in all, I enjoyed the day, however the event was rather unorganized (though I can't say that I would have done a better job myself). The available time, event planners, access, and funds is unknown to me and from what I observed, it appeared to be students running the show. I really respected the young women leaders who took part in planning and hosting the event, as they did their part in teaching others, in this case youth, about the devastating effects of bullying and ways to prevent bullying in schools and at home. Some recommendations for a similar future event could include a compacted list of volunteer responsibilities, stations, agenda, etc. and a short hour or so briefing of the scheduled events and expectations of the day beforehand. I felt like there were many volunteers ready and willing to help but were not quite sure how they could help or what to do. Besides being a bit chaotic, I thought the young women in charge, especially Nicole, did a great job of trying to get things quickly organized and everyone involved. Meredith Tweed also stepped in and helped the process along tremendously.
   I could see the excitement on the children's faces as they toured the campus. They were ecstatic to be hanging out with college kids and exploring our huge campus. This is what I feel is the most important. Simply getting involved in these kids' lives can make a huge impact on the way they view bullying in schools. They look up to us as university students and I feel it is our duty to set a good example for our future generations. I also stress the importance of the students seeing females running the event in positions of leadership. If young girls do not see women in positions of power or as leaders, how are they to see themselves as leaders?
  And as we begin to question current, masculine definitions of leadership, we can see the importance of women taking positions as leaders. Women offer and enforce different qualities to the rigid structural concepts of what defines success, leadership, etc. As stated in Marie Wilson's Closing the Leadership Gap, "The core of what women bring to leadership- a tendency toward greater inclusiveness, empathy, communication up and down hierarchies, focus on broader issues- makes stronger government and richer business." (Pg 6).
 Once again, this involvement and new observation of myself as a possible leader has added value to my life. I have confidence of being able to start some sort of program, with the collaboration and help from others of course. It felt good to spend time with kids that I didn't even know, and to be able to be in the position where they would see me as a mentor of sorts. It felt good to drive up to the homeless shelter and be able to offer food to people who needed it. So, what I guess I am trying to say is, it feels good to give back and get involved in the community in a positive light and that is what my service learning experience has brought to my life.