Masculinity in Leadership 

Does a woman need to have the mentality and force of a man to be a great leader or, for that matter, a leader at all? There is no simple answer to this question. The article, “Can Hillary Cry Her Way Back to the White House?” shows that women do not have to have the mentality or strength of a man to be a leader.  In fact, just the opposite seems to be the case in the political world. It seems as though each time Clinton displayed some vulnerability after having been forceful in the past, she gained some support and followers. The author of the article, Maureen Dowd, seems to believe this surge in supporters is due to the fact that Clinton’s vulnerability victimized her as a woman. In this sense, Clinton gained many sympathy votes. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” believes that to be powerful and to be a leader to her husband she must indeed have the mentality of a man. When it comes time for her to lead her husband in the murder of King Duncan, she gives a soliloquy in which she says “unsex me” to rid herself of her female characteristics and take on the manly role of a leader. Further, in the movie “The Iron Lady”, Meryl Streep portrays the protagonist who is firm with the mentality of a man, making her a great leader. She must be strong and acct with force so that no one questions her ability as a woman to conduct warfare. However, the facts concerning Clinton’s political race and the leadership of the “iron lady” are far different. Hillary Clinton was attempting to gain a leadership position whereas the latter was attempting to utilize her position of power. In order for Clinton to be a leader at all, she needed to become likeable by displaying her feminine side. The “iron lady”, on the other hand, was concerned about becoming a great leader and needed to be stern and masculine and controlling even if it made her unlikable. Therefore, having the mentality of a man worked well for the “iron lady” and for Lady Macbeth in being good leaders, but Clinton needed to take a softer approach to be elected into a leadership position. It can be concluded that while being masculine may work for some leaders, it is certainly not the solution for others.