The barriers at leadership levels within organisations can be addressed via policy initiatives, developmental programs, organisational practices, and career interventions intended to ease flourishing performance accomplishments (Betz, 2007). Some of these policy interventions include equal opportunity legislation, gender quotas, and affirmative action programs.
Organisational practices include but are not limited to mentoring and sponsorship (Loeffen, 2016), benchmarking, and the establishment of support networks. Besides, structural changes can be designed to put forward a more family-friendly working environment, as Kottke and Agars (2005) suggested.
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The New Zealand government emphasises the importance of promoting women's rights in the country and worldwide (UN Women, n.d.). It supports women’s leadership by promoting gender equality through training, education, and participation in the workforce (UN Women, n.d.). The government is developing women leaders in various ways. It motivates women and girls to participate at the highest levels of management and governance. Similarly, support is provided to promote non-discrimination recruitment policies and equal pay for women and men performing similar duties (Demuijnck, 2009). The equality for all principle is enshrined in the nation’s law.
The country is implementing favourable policy and legislative reforms to enhance women's lives.
The aim is to utilise their skills to grow the economy. Moreover, this has been identified as one way of developing and encouraging women leaders (UN Women, n.d.). Consequently, this encourages women to participate in the workplace (Grant Thornton, 2018). Notably, these policies aim at providing women with equal opportunities as men, including leadership roles.
Migrant women typically face unique problems in leadership (Harris & Leberman, 2011), and therefore, leadership development strategies must be tailored to meet their exact needs (Hopkins et al., 2008). Women-only training is another approach that is utilised to support women's leadership in New Zealand. Training on leadership is imperative as it helps women develop a stronger feeling of self and relationships (Vinnicombe & Singh, 2002). According to Harris and Leberman (2011), training programs are used to support, motivate, and contribute towards the development of females who aspire to be or are leaders in different sectors of the economy. Leader development programs, mainly off-the-job, bring people together for growth and shared learning experiences. For example, the New Zealand Women in Leadership program (NZWIL) has been developed to advance leadership skills among women leaders in universities and tertiary systems (Harris & Leberman, 2011). Mainly, these programs exist to support and encourage women to become leaders. Since aspiring leaders' training and development programs are complex, they need to be appropriately designed, sponsored, and implemented (Dubrin et al., 2006). Such programs increase self-confidence (McCormick, 2001) and promote networking (Coleman, 2010).
Organisations need to support and honour the equal employment opportunities (EEO) provided by labour relations to support migrant women's leadership (McPherson, 2010). Unless migrant women are accorded the same opportunities as New Zealanders, they will continue to be excluded from senior leadership positions. These opportunities include but are not limited to the same assignments and line management roles that allow them to develop themselves and showcase their capabilities. Organisations are also encouraged to recognise the necessity for different career models to enable non-linear career paths for individuals with family responsibilities (Bravo, 2007;
McPherson, 2010). Workplace culture with supportive leadership is imperative to attaining a
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gender-neutral organisational culture (Hrdlicka et al., 2010). Organisations including ANZ New Zealand, Chapman Tripp, and Microsoft have previously been awarded EEO Trust Work & Life Awards for successfully creating workplace cultures that emphasise flexible working hours (McPherson, 2010). These are essential strategies that ensure that migrant women do not miss out on leadership roles because of familial responsibilities.
Another way to support migrant women's leadership is by changing the cultural perceptions of the other employees. Belle (2002) and Sandberg (2013) contend that migrant females have been made to feel exclusively responsible for their challenges in the corporate culture. Developing more inclusive cultures that are tolerant of a wide variety of leadership styles helps organisations embrace women's leadership. Servon and Visser (2011) assert that changing the cultural perceptions, particularly concerning think manager think male, is imperative to the advancement of women in the corporate world globally.
Gender quotas are a measure that is aimed at attaining a balanced representation in organisations, particularly at the decision-making levels. Nonetheless, it is a short-term strategy and somewhat controversial (Dahlerup, 2007). Typically, gender quotas legislation purposes of compelling large organisations to embrace gender equality at top leadership levels. In so doing, these organisations stimulate the career advancement of women. Nations that have adopted such legislations have shown considerable improvement in gender balance (Rincón et al., 2017).
Bierema (2016) and Wynn (2020) argue that women’s leadership development is essential for business and organisation. Changing the existing culture requires the creation of accountability measures that facilitate the recruitment, development, retention, and promotion of talented women. As such, organisational executives need to assess how well they can establish a more balanced diversity among their leadership ranks, including the implementation of stopgap measures that seek the involvement of women in leadership roles (Ellemers et al., 2012). In addition, promoting diverse career routes, strategies, and time frames for advancement can assist migrant women in managing familial and social expectations.
Migrant women are encouraged to be more proactive at the individual level while seeking out leadership opportunities (Chan, 2010). Kellerman and Rhode (2007) advise women to make their aims known, express their value and results, and negotiate. Women are encouraged to seek networking opportunities to advance their leadership opportunities. Eagly and Carli (2007) contend that networking and mentorship can be proactive ways of encouraging women to seek out leadership opportunities and influence their progress. Women need to neutralise the notion that femininity is not compatible with quality leadership (Eagly & Carli, 2007).
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CHAPTER – 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
"The present economy has created labour markets that require more women's participation"
(Clancy & Tata, 2005).