WUNRN
DALAI
LAMA SAYS THE NEXT DALAI LAMA COULD BE A WOMAN
(B. Mathur/Reuters)
By Jena McGregor - June 17, 2013
The Dalai Lama
said during a visit to
Unsurprisingly, the remarks sparked a debate on whether such comments reinforce unhelpful stereotypes and to what extent women really are more compassionate than men. Stereotypes of women as nurturing, empathetic, more consensus-driven leaders, after all, can hurt women when they engage in the more authoritative behavior that's become a stereotype of male leaders.
And while there have been plenty of studies that do
show that women have better interpersonal skills or show more compassion, many
also find that they are assertive
risk-takers or excel at being results-driven,
qualities that many people ascribe to men who reach the top. Even those who have
researched the topic for years and have found some
differences between male and female leaders note that it's unclear
how much is biological. As Alice Eagly, a professor at
To me, however, the far more interesting comment
from the Dalai Lama is not his thoughts on what kind of leaders women are or
which sex is more compassionate, but the fact that a woman could soon reach
this leadership role in the Buddhist faith. This is apparently not the first
time he's made such a comment: Back in 2007, he said during
a visit to
Whatever truths there may be in the Dalai Lama's
remarks about leadership styles, what matters most is that he's open to
elevating the best person for the role, man or woman. That's a standard to
which all institutions and organizations should aspire. Even if a female Dalai
Lama isn't next in line, his comments could help to shine more of a spotlight
on gender inequities in other religions' leadership, too.