Is it time to let women take the wheel?
By Daniel Amen, M.D.
Our world needs a change in leadership.
I'm not talking about the divide between Republicans and Democrats. I'm not talking about the UN or the influence of U.S. foreign policy, or the power struggles in the Middle East. At the end of the day, all of these may end up being less important than a fundamental division of power that goes back to the beginning of the human race.
What I'm talking about here is the gender balance: the distribution of power and leadership between men and women.
Despite the tremendous gains made by women over the last 100 years, women still represent only a tiny fraction of the leadership in this country and worldwide. It's true that this year we saw a historic (and welcome) upturn in the amount of women elected to government. There are 20 women in the U.S. Senate and 78 in the House of Representatives this year. Similarly, the Fortune 500 for 2012 showed that 18 women were CEOs of the top companies in the nation. This is up from 12 female CEOs the year before. It's good news, but it isn't enough.
While most companies have male CEOs and most leadership positions in the U.S. and abroad are held by men, the "CEO part of the brain" -- the prefrontal cortex, which governs things like judgment, organization and planning -- is actually stronger in women, suggesting that women, not men, are a better suited to hold positions of power and are probably better equipped to change our world than men.
This isn't idle speculation. Research we have been conducting at the Amen Clinics over the past 22 years bears this out.
The Largest Brain-Imaging Analysis Ever[1]
My team and I recently completed the largest brain-imaging analysis ever conducted to evaluate the differences between male and female brains. The results confirm what many of us have known intuitively for decades: There is a big difference between the brains of men and the brains of women. Only, the differences aren't what some of you may think.
In this study, we took single photon emissions computed tomography (SPECT) scans of 26,000 people -- some 46,000 scans -- and compared them to see if there were any differences between the sexes. Included in the group were healthy males and females as well as men and women with a wide variety of neurological and psychiatric conditions. What we found was stunning.
Women showed significantly increased cerebral blood flow in 112 of the 128 regions of the brain we measured. Put simply, this means that women generally have more brain activity than men. But what fascinated me as a psychiatrist and brain imaging specialist wasn't that women's brains were much more active than men's. I think a lot of us guys have known that for years. What I found particularly interesting were the specific areas of the brain that were more active in women -- areas that show women may indeed be better equipped to lead our world toward meaningful change than men are.
Why Women Make Better Bosses (and Leaders)
The first thing my team noticed was that the inner CEO (the prefrontal cortex) of women is much more active than men. This area of the brain governs things like judgment, forethought, organization, planning, empathy, impulse control and learning from the mistakes you make. These are the very qualities needed to successfully manage a company, lead a nation, mediate crisis, and get people working together toward a common goal.
This strength in the prefrontal cortex also points to a possible explanation for the lower incidence of ADHD, antisocial personality disorder, substance abuse, and possibly incarcerations (women are 14 times less likely to go to jail than men).
In addition, women showed increased activity in the hippocampus. Men, if you've ever wondered why your wife or girlfriend never forgets anything, here is your answer. The hippocampus is the part of the brain that helps memories get into long-term storage. Increased activity in this area means that women generally remember things better for longer than men -- a useful tool for leaders and CEOs.
Understand these are only a few of the key areas of increased brain activity that stand out in women. In fact, men were more active in only nine areas of the brain, those primarily associated with visual perception, form recognition and object representation. Men are better at tracking objects in space, usually female objects that get us in a whole bunch of trouble.
Due to this increased brain activity, women tend to exhibit greater strengths in the areas of:
Empathy -- the ability to share or understand the feelings of another
Intuition -- knowing that something is true without knowing exactly why
Collaboration -- the ability to work with other people toward a common goal (another key reason they make such great bosses)
Self-control -- which, as mentioned above, points to their reduced risk of substance abuse, going to jail, or even getting a traffic ticket
Appropriate worry -- women tend to worry about and take care of their health, their family, etc. more effectively than men. This point is actually quite fascinating -- in a large study, it was found that the "don't worry, be happy" people, more typically men on motorcycles, died earlier from accidents and preventable illness. Appropriate worry may be one reason women live longer than men.[2]
Females are neurologically well-equipped to lead, manage and help us resolve the major problems of the world. Men have been in positions of power since the inception of the human race, and while the progress of civilization is impressive, we still face war, strife, power struggles, ill health and more every day. By understanding and honoring the female brain, we can empower girls and women to use their brains to change the world.
My hope is that you women out there use this program to unleash the extraordinary power of your female brain. Our world needs you and your brains now more than ever to lead us toward a more peaceful, more collaborative, more sustainable, healthier way of life.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-amen-md/female-brain_b_2697024.html...
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So so much for women being too emotional for leadership roles. Looks like our brains are wired for it.
Del
We r all gender biased...lets admit it
At the end of the day each gender looks for certain qualities in a colleague/boss/employee/etc that he/she believes only his own gender can provide...thats why we'll always need each other to have a complete product to perfection...so it'll always be the case that one gender cannot fully satisfy the other...thats why u always look at TEAM WORK
expressive comment :-)
I agree !
Damn No!
Yup, I'm purposely being biased, which is why I use the words "I" and "personally"
Jason is stating his personal preference as if they are fact.
"I personally prefer"
I disagree with a lot of those. I personally prefer female musicians & poets. There are plenty of great female directors, scientists and chefs. And I like plenty of female sports.
You're bringing your own personal bias into this, rather than looking at the facts.
I would say the average female boss is just as emotionally stable as the average male boss.
U sound like a FEMEN member, r u by any chance from Ukrain ?
Personally I've worked for better female bosses than male. My male bosses have been unhelpful, unreachable, moody and prone to complaining non-stop about absolutely everything. They also tend to lack imagination and drive.
Also, have worked with amazing female mechanics and engineers, who can run circles around the men they work with.
You assume women care if they appear sexy to you, you're mistaken.
I agree!!! 2 thumbs up to the Author and to Miss Mimi. ;)
Interesting article. I find countries like Saudi Arabia practically paraplegic, as they disregard half their population,
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/12/14/can-daniel-amen-read-your-mind.html
Miss Mimi...which leads us to my post above.
brit, I think the guy is on the bandwagon of the now popular 'brain science". Now, there is a lot we do not know about our brain..Male and female. Never the less, it is not so much about the brain per se, but how we use it. We have been taught certain things, but as it turns out, those things are not really accurate and we need to change them. Basically it is about how and WHAt we think. The old saying "you are what you think" is 100% accurate. IF one understands what it really means.
Nope, we've been encouraged from a young age to compete with each other, and been trained to see other women as the enemy, rather than an ally.
Super cool, you are absolutely right! Women do NOT support each other enough. more often than not it's the opposite.I've been saying that for a very long time!
@nomerci
What i really find strange is that women usually waste so much time fighting with other women in the company rather than they do cmpeting with the men...for some reason u guys dont support each other...u would rather see a male become the boss than see a female get there before u!!!
Let us support more women to "use this program to unleash the extraordinary power of your female brain. Our world needs you and your brains now more than ever to lead us toward a more peaceful, more collaborative, more sustainable, healthier way of life."
Men are always encouraged to seek powerful roles. Women are often not encouraged. They have to work harder than men because more often that not men have a 'male support network ", that usually does not include women.
ONE reason why it is more difficult for women.
Another reason may be that women are not hired as much as men is because they may get pregnant.
Yup, women should be CEO's and men should stick to parking cars.
each has a specific role different from the other or in other words some roles are more easy for men and others more easy for women.
It could also mean that women are more adequate for some roles and men are more adequate for another roles.
or wrong
But I am happy because it is in line with one of my articles on the differences of women and men brain.
I know some female Qatari engineers who have spent the past 2+ yrs without paid leave "by choice" and all of them are based abroad with no family members around. They r doing well and r so dedicated to the task at hand.
Thelonius...u can say I'm a bit of a feminist...I do demand more for women. When a guy works all hours of the night nobody says, well how's his wife feeling about it??? A woman should be granted the same privilege.. and able to decide...if she’s willing to do put in the hrs we shouldn't interfere or question her personal life.
It just so happens that women usually r very reliable and very qualified but not available enough....available not meaning in numbers but available hrs of day dedicated to the task.
Unfortunately, a guy who's too busy with work is called business oriented or a workaholic at worst....but a lady who's too busy with work is called a butch!!!
I personaly don't look at gender when hiring or selecting someone for a management position
I simply consider "availability, reliability & qualifications" in that same order, and the candidate with the most of all gets the job....plain and simple
From the pro arguments it almost sounds like a reservation kind of demand for the women where the positions are to be filled only by the women and men can't compete.
The women who would make to the position of power have equal opportunities of education and competition and have equal resources. Don’t see how men or society can be a show stopper for them if they want to and are fit for the job moreso when more and more companies and countries are allowing people to take positions without any bias.
would be very nice to see female ceo's however community dont believe in them and their skills.
I don't see a lot of billionaires buying weapons and taking over countries thelonius. Men or women.
And women are still paid less for the same job. So it's a bit harder to become a billionaire that way.
Do we still have war, strife, power struggles and ill health Brit? Do men still hold the majority of leadership positions?
The above does not mean that society or men are to blame.
i agree that women should empower themselves and compete to attain key roles and position, but does this really make sense ? "Men have been in positions of power since the inception of the human race, and while the progress of civilization is impressive, we still face war, strife, power struggles, ill health and more every day."
He does mention traditional roles Brit:
Despite the tremendous gains made by women over the last 100 years, women still represent only a tiny fraction of the leadership in this country and worldwide. It's true that this year we saw a historic (and welcome) upturn in the amount of women elected to government. There are 20 women in the U.S. Senate and 78 in the House of Representatives this year. Similarly, the Fortune 500 for 2012 showed that 18 women were CEOs of the top companies in the nation. This is up from 12 female CEOs the year before. It's good news, but it isn't enough.
While most companies have male CEOs and most leadership positions in the U.S. and abroad are held by men
Men have been in positions of power since the inception of the human race, and while the progress of civilization is impressive, we still face war, strife, power struggles, ill health and more every day.
Perhaps. But not as many as more reputable world leaders.
I would suggest that is exactly and only thing he is saying. Noweher does he say anything about outmoded ideas and society stopping women..
He's suggesting women empower themselves Brit, that's part of it.
Madonna fits into the traditional female role of "whore". So it didn't. She used her sexuality, which is acceptable. And she's hardly in a "power" position.
Let's stick to the posting. That is not what the author is suggesting.
I would say society is stopping women from gaining powerful roles. Outdated ideas of women's traditional roles, lack of support for girls to enter science and technology roles, lack of respect when they try for political roles.
Are you suggesting that men are stopping the women from gaining powerful roles ?
To me, the author is suggesting that women themselves need to use techniques from his research to empower themselves and become better leaders.
They say themselves that they've had to, if you've ever read any of their biographies (obviously not Cleopatra's or Madame Curies, but Cleopatra was just a pawn anyway).
Brit: so the fact that he wrote a book takes away from the research?
It's much harder for women to achieve these roles, as they don't receive the support men do. Angela Merkel, Margaret Thatcher, Madame Curie, Cleopatra and Hillary Clinton are exceptions to the rule. They had to work twice as hard as men to get to the positions that they're in.
read the link.
It's just a sales pitch for a book.
I hope we can see more women in leadership roles before 500 years MM.
One needs to wait for 500 years to achieve what you dream Mimi , as per your progress report till today...
I love the last para:
"This idea and the data from our study inspired me so much that my latest book, Unleash the Power of the Female Brain, is dedicated to it. In it, I show how women can supercharge their brains using the techniques we have developed at the Amen Clinics for better health, energy, mood and sex. The book gives women a complete step-by-step program that teaches them how to love their brain, overcome mood disorders and optimize brain function."
So, the author is trying to sell a book and more importantly, it's not men who are holding women back, but the women themselves..
So ladies..Buy the book , overcome mood disorders and enjoy better sex :O)
Think I'll take the author.
That's not what the article says.
Hell No!