{"id":55,"date":"2012-07-05T14:22:00","date_gmt":"2012-07-05T14:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wordynerdy\/2012\/07\/why-we-need-women-and-others-in-leadership\/"},"modified":"2012-07-05T14:22:00","modified_gmt":"2012-07-05T14:22:00","slug":"why-we-need-women-and-others-in-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wordynerdy\/2012\/07\/why-we-need-women-and-others-in-leadership\/","title":{"rendered":"Why We Need Women (and Others) in Leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/p>\n

This is the second of a series of reflections I\u2019m writing based on Ann Marie Slaughter\u2019s Atlantic Monthly story\u00a0Why Women Still Can\u2019t Have It All<\/a>.\u00a0 Read\u00a0The Problem with Having It All<\/a><\/em><\/div>\n
<\/em><\/div>\n
\"\"Back in my 20s, because I had 3 diversity points (female, Asian, young), I was invited to sit on a couple national Christian ministry advisory boards. Affirmative action brought me to the table\u2014I was severely under-qualified compared to fellow board members\u2014but I was glad to be there.\u00a0 After all, if you want a young, female, Asian perspective, you\u2019ve got to involve young, female, Asians.\u00a0 Kudos to these ministries for taking seriously God\u2019s care and concern for all peoples and all nations!<\/div>\n
Because I was the youngest and least accomplished person on both boards, and because I cherished the free plane ticket to Chicago so I could meet with my graduate school advisor, I was the most constant member over the years\u2014the perk of being single, unknown and rarely in demand.\u00a0 So as time went on, I often became either the only woman or only person of color in the room.<\/div>\n
<\/span>\n
I soon noticed that when the room was full of ethnic minorities, ethnic minority issues got attention. Likewise, when there were many women, issues around gender and justice got more space.<\/div>\n
But when those representatives disappeared, so did those conversations.\u00a0 I valiantly tried to continue the dialogue from previous meetings but was usually unsuccessful.\u00a0 Not because people didn\u2019t care, but because one lone (and young) voice crying out in the wilderness just doesn\u2019t garner much attention.<\/div>\n
That\u2019s why I think Ann Marie Slaughter\u2019s article\u00a0Why Women Still Can\u2019t Have It All<\/a>is so important.\u00a0 She\u2019s concerned about the dearth of high-level women leaders in every facet of our country, and even more worried that women, having dropped out over work\/life balance issues, aren\u2019t even in the leadership pool.<\/div>\n
Without diversity in the highest echelons, we lose a great deal of perspective, or using business terms, we lose the ability to reach crucial markets.\u00a0 We\u2019re all blind to most issues and needs of anyone who isn\u2019t us. We need help to see things we don\u2019t see. So if our schools, communities, churches and institutions are ever to include people who are different, we\u2019ve got to involve those different folks at every level.<\/div>\n
Yet to be honest, despite my deep desire to see diversity in the upper echelons of my ministry, I\u2019ve been reluctant to be part of the solution for the precise reasons Slaughter observes. I haven\u2019t climbed the leadership ladder, not because I lacked opportunity, but because there are many who can lead but no one else can mother my kids.\u00a0 My husband\u2019s high-powered job has little flexibility, so keeping a flexible job helps our family.\u00a0 And when I look up the ladder, I haven\u2019t wanted the costs\u2014especially travel\u2014that promotion entails.<\/div>\n
But 20 years after my stint on those boards, I look up and still don\u2019t see many folks that look like me in the top ranks. . . of anything.\u00a0 And I wonder how God wants folks like me to think about our lives, our calls, our sacrifices. \u00a0Because if we don\u2019t join the tables where issues are discussed and decisions are made, how will we ever move forward in God\u2019s desire to serve all peoples well?<\/div>\n
You might also enjoy some of my other thoughts on gender and\/or work:<\/strong><\/div>\n
The Problem with Having It All<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/div>\n
Annie, Shoot your Gun Already!<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n
Toilet Paper Distribution, or how Equality and Justice aren\u2019t the Same Thing<\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n
Boy Parts vs. Girl Parts\u2013More on Gender and Justice<\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n
3 Reasons I Work for Money<\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n
My Theology of Parenting or Why I Gave Up Being God<\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n
This was first posted in What She Said<\/i><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is the second of a series of reflections I\u2019m writing based on Ann Marie Slaughter\u2019s Atlantic Monthly story\u00a0Why Women Still Can\u2019t Have It All.\u00a0 Read\u00a0The Problem with Having It All Back in my 20s, because I had 3 diversity points (female, Asian, young), I was invited to sit on a couple national Christian ministry […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1263,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy We Need Women (and Others) in Leadership<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This is the second of a series of reflections I\u2019m writing based on Ann Marie Slaughter\u2019s Atlantic Monthly story Why Women Still Can\u2019t Have It\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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