"We need to get beyond" gender stereotypes, said Penn President Amy Gutmann at the "Women Who Rule" panel last night at the Annenberg School for Communication.
Five female leaders in academia formed the panel on gender consciousness and solidarity among women in present day society.
The panel was moderated by SAS Dean Rebecca Bushnell and featured History professor Mary Frances Berry, Ruth M.S. Fischer from the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia, and Political Science professor and Director of the Annenberg Center of Public Policy Kathleen Hall Jamieson, in addition to Gutmann.
From Hillary Clinton to Sarah Palin, the panel discussed the way in which society affects women in their quest for leadership roles that have been historically assumed by men.
To open discussion, Berry stated that she "was puzzled as to why Hillary Clinton did not have large female support." The panel consensus seemed to be that women generally do not express their power out of fear of seeming aggressive or unfeminine. This non-traditional image was one that panelists believed was exhibited by Clinton.
Fischer quoted author and former White House press secretary Dee Dee Myers in adding that "likability is not a requirement of men." Today many women place higher value on being liked than asserting their greatness. This has customarily been the opposite of men.
Gutmann continued by discussing the way in which female leaders of all walks of life - like doctors, lawyers and policewomen - are often portrayed in the media as "caricatures." She described this portrayal as a mechanism to "keep female leaders down."
She added that "a feature of highly successful women is to not be [overly] self-reflective." Additionally, she placed emphasis on providing our children, as future leaders, a strong emotional foundation even more so than an economic one.
In addition to emotional fortitude, Gutmann noted the importance of taking advantage of opportunities. She spoke of how her scholarship to Radcliffe, the women's college at Harvard, opened many doors for her and because of this she feels it is imperative to provide access for others.
As stated by 1961 alumna Suzanne Shneider, head of the Center for the Gifted and Alumni of the College for Women, "The panel provided excellent discussion and thought provoking insight."
