Women are less corrupt in
professional and public dealings than men. However in Pakistan the patriarchal
society has imprisoned women in the chaddar and char dewari. Shouldn’t one then
expect a higher corruption index for the society?
Patriarchal ordering of society may be another variable for society drift
towards corruption. This may seem like a sweeping statement but consider the
available evidence.
There are a very limited number of women at higher echelons of professions
in Pakistan. It is not due to their incompetence or incapability, but the
various barriers that deter or block their way to the top. Some of these
barriers are overt and real, others covert, informal and latent. There is
empirical evidence that women, when given an equal opportunity, at
professional and organisational levels, are as able as their male counterparts.
Research also suggests that women bosses and heads of organisations prove
better in many respects. The generally-held belief that women are not interested
in taking leading professional roles has also been challenged by empirical
evidence women are as likely as men to accept responsible professional roles.
There is no dearth of research challenging the misconception that women do not
reach the highest professional ranks because they lack the required skills,
attitudes and abilities. When women were assessed on specific skills
considered important for effective professional leadership, they were found to
do as well as men or outperform them.
Another misconception challenged by empirical investigation is the notion
that women excel only in people and interpersonal skills commonly associated
with the feminine style. Research suggests that women also excel in skills that
have been linked traditionally to getting bottom line results, usually
associated with masculine norms.
Women perceptions of their self-efficacy and personal competence are not
much different from those of men. The findings of an in-depth survey, carried
out at a global financial services firm revealed that high-potential men
and women assessed themselves equally.
Women prove to be successful professional leaders, effective managers, and
bosses etc. Women heads of organisations tend to introduce more human,
psycho-social and moral elements in their organisations.
Women are more likely, than men, to display visionary, initiating,
charismatic, innovative, and strategic qualities. They create webs of inclusion
rather than hierarchical structures and are professionally more nurturing,
accommodating and interested in sharing power and information.
Women are found to be more democratic. They also tend to be more ethical,
or more rule-oriented, than men. They are more concerned about ethical issues.
The study also looked at the magnitude of improvement in a company
financial performance. Where women comprised 10 percent of executive teams, a
considerable rise in stock prices was recorded. This rise was 4.5 percent
more than companies with no women managers. The former also showed a 56 percent
increase in earnings per share. Where women comprised half the management
team, stock prices rose 23 percent more than companies with no women in higher
positions. These companies also enjoyed a huge (281 percent) rise in
earning per share.
Investigators have also explored the effect of gender on organisational
commitment. Research suggests that women are professionally more committed
to their organisations than men. It has been proposed that gender may affect an
employee perceptions of the workplace, and her attitudinal reactions and
commitment to the organisation.
Imperial College Lahore undertook a similar study to assess the effect of
gender on organisational performance. The research, undertaken in 2002 under the
aegis of UNDP, showed, among other things, that Pakistani organisations
headed by women were less corrupt, less corruptible, more transparent and open,
than organisations headed by men. These findings are in consonance with
evidence available from all over the world.
Hence it can be said that women in professional and public dealings are
less corrupt than men and command greater public confidence than men.
However in Pakistan the patriarchal society has imprisoned women in the
chaddar and char dewari.
When the less corrupt citizens of a country are barred from running the affairs
of a country, shouldn’t one expect a higher corruption index in the society? The
patriarchal ordering of Pakistani society may be another factor in our
drift towards corruption.
Courtsey: https://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_29-9-2005_pg3_5