CHAPTER  of etiquette and gender roles are now more lex- ible, making equity within the marital relationship more common. So much has changed; yet, so much has not. Underrepresentation of Women Leaders When organizational and political leaders in the United States were homogeneously white men, mainly from elite backgrounds, their gender, race, and ethnicity were unremarkable. However, much is changing in the United States and globally. Although white men still predominate as leaders, the increasing presence of women and of racial and ethnic minorities as leaders is unmistakable in the United States. Yet, women are still underrepresented in leadership roles in corporations, institutions of Introduction Rapid technological advances and social change together with the growing population diversity in the United States and globally demand attention to who our leaders are, who make up their follow- ers, and the contexts in which they lead. In the 21st century, we need to go beyond current lead- ership paradigms that show a bias (Den Hartog & Dickson, 2004) relecting organizational structures and cultures of North American organizations run by white Anglo heterosexual males. More women now work outside the home, and have increasingly moved toward greater gender equality at home and in the workplace. Changes in gender roles and life- styles have occurred with men now sharing more in household chores and childrearing. Social rules Abstract Differences and similarities between men and women are identiied in the research on women and leadership. The contexts of leadership, including follower perceptions and expectations as well as the nature of the leadership-member relationship are important inluences in how women lead. Underrepresentation and the existence of gender bias frame the context of leadership for women. Current theories of leadership typically omit the discussion of gender, feminist values, or principles of diversity. Organizational cultures remain male dominated and do not strive toward gender-equitable work environments although ethics-based leadership, diversity leadership, collaborative leadership, and transformational leadership styles favoring the leadership of women are importantly viewed as important dimensions of leadership today. Although the behavior of men and women leaders is similar, leadership for women remains a different experience. Future directions must consider the importance of leadership contexts and leader identity including work-family interface, afirmative paradigms, lived experience, and multiple dimensions of self-identity. Key Words: Women and leadership, gender differences, gender bias, collaborative leadership, diversity and leadership, lived experience, leader identity, transformational leadership style, contexts of leadership, Leader-Member relationship Jean Lau Chin Women and Leadership 33 OUP UNCORRECTED PROOF – FIRSTPROOFS, Mon Dec 30 2013, NEWGEN 33_Day_33.indd 733 12/30/2013 2:10:46 PM