Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
##common.pageHeaderLogo.altText##

Articles

Vol. 41 No. 1 (2022): Advancing Women in Leadership Journal

Women and Professional Generativity: Voices from the Field

DOI
https://doi.org/10.21423/awlj-v41.a324
Submitted
August 8, 2017
Published
2022-12-19

Abstract

Aging brings with it a certain commitment to improving the lives of future generations and to giving back by engaging in productive pursuits that provide psychological well-being (Versey & Newton, 2013). Leaders and adults develop a heightened sense of communion with self and others and derive meaning and satisfaction through serving others (Slater, 2003). We present findings from a focus group comprised of nine college-educated women professionals from three countries, gathered for the purpose of discussing generativity in educational leadership. Purposeful sampling was employed to allow variation and representation of women in educational leadership. Positions held by focus group members ranged from principals, directors, professors to deans. The specific purpose was to obtain an in-depth understanding of experiences of women as they engaged with the concept of generativity in their personal and professional lives. The results suggested that commitments to generativity activities varied by experience, age, and race. Another important finding was the categorization of participant women into distinct identity markers of pathmakers, guardians, searchers and drifters (Josselson, 1996) as reflected by the focus and nature of their generativity activities. Further studies with women from different socioeconomic backgrounds and fields other than educational leadership need to be conducted to establish the universality of our findings. Keywords: women, educational leadership, generativity

References

  1. Beaumont, S. L., & Pratt, M. M. (2011). Identity processing styles and psychosocial balance during early and middle adulthood: The role of identity in intimacy and generativity. Journal of Personality, 18(1), 172-183.
  2. Bradley, C. L. (1997). Generativity-Stagnation: Development of a status model. Developmental Review, 17, 262-290.
  3. Bradley, C. L., & Marcia, J. E. (1998). Generativity-Stagnation: A five category model. Journal of Personality, 66(1), 41-64.
  4. Carlsen, B., & Glenton, C. (2011). What about N? A methodological study of sample-size reporting in focus group studies. People Medical Research Methodology, 11 (26), 1-10.
  5. Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
  6. Doody, O., Slevin, E., & Taggart, L. (2013a). Focus group interviews. British Journal of Nursing, 22(1), 16-19.
  7. Doody, O., Slevin, E., & Taggart, L. (2013b). Focus group interviews. British Journal of Nursing, 22(5), 266-269.
  8. Edelstein, L. N. (1997). Revisiting Erikson's views on women's generativity, or Erikson didn't understand midlife women. ERIC Number: ED415473. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association (105th, Chicago, IL, August 15-19)
  9. Erikson, E. H. (1950). Childhood and society. New York: Norton.
  10. Erikson, E. H. (1964). Insight and Responsibility. New York: Norton
  11. Erikson, E. H. (1974). Dimensions of a new identity New York: Norton.
  12. Erikson. E. (1980). Identity and the life cycle. New York: Norton.
  13. Erikson. E. (1997). The life cycle completed. New York: Norton.
  14. Evans, N. J. (1985). Womens'development across the life span. New Directions for Student Affairs, 29, 9-26
  15. Gilligan, C. (1982). In a different voice: Psychological theory and women's development. Cambridge: MA, Harvard University Press.
  16. Harris, R. L., Elliot, A. M., & Holmes, D. S. (1986). The timing of psychological changes in women's lives: An examination of women aged 45 to 60. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(2), 409-416.
  17. Helson, R., & Srivastava, S. (2001). Three paths of adult development. Conservers, seekers, and achievers. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80(6), 995-1010.
  18. Helson, R., Stewart, A. J., & Ostrove, J. (1995). Identity in three cohorts of midlife women. A cross cultural investigation. Journal of Personality, 69(3), 544-557.
  19. Hofer, J., Busch, H., Chastiotis, A., KÓ"rtner, A., & Campos, D. (2008). Concern for generativity and its relation to implicit pro-social power motivation, generative goals and satisfaction with life: A cross cultural investigation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76(1), 1-30.
  20. Josselson, R. L. (1996). Revising herself: The story of women's identity from college to mid-life. New York: Oxford University Press.
  21. Marcia, J. E. (1966). Development and validation of ego identity status. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 3, 551-558.
  22. McGuigan, D. G. (1980). Exploring Women's Lives: An Introduction. In D. G. McGuigan (Ed.), Women's Lives: New Theory, Research, and Policy. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, Center for Continuing Education of Women.
  23. Morselli, D. & Passini, S. (2015). Measuring prosocial attitudes for future generations: The social generativity scale. Journal of Adult Development, 22, 173-182.
  24. Neugarten, B. L. (1968). Adult personality: Toward a psychology of the life cycle. In B. L. Neugatern (Ed.), Middle age and aging: A reader in social psychology (pp. 137-147). Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press
  25. Pringle, J. K., & Dixon, K. M. (2003). Re-incarnating life in the careers of women. Career Development International, 8(6), 291-300.
  26. Rosenthal, M. (2016). Qualitative research methods: Why, when, and how to conduct interviews and focus groups in pharmacy research. Currents Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 8, 509-516.
  27. Sagaria, M. D., & Johnsrud. L. K. (1988). Generative leadership. In M. D. Sagaria (Ed.), Empowering women: Leadership development strategies on campus (pp. 13-26). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
  28. Sandberg, S. (2014). Lean in. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
  29. Schuiling, K. D., & Low, L. K. (2006). Women's growth and development across the life span. In K. D. Schuiling, & F. E. Likis (Eds). Women's Gynecologic Health (p 21-38). Retrieved from http://samples.jbpub.com/9780763756376/Chapter2.pdf
  30. Sherblom, S. (2008). The legacy of the "care challenge": Re-envisioning the outcome of the justice care debate. Journal of Moral Education, 37(1), 81-98.
  31. Slater, C. L. (2003). Generativity versus stagnation: An elaboration of Erikson's adult stage of human development. Journal of Adult Development, 10 (1), 53-65.
  32. Versey, H. S., & Newton, N. J. (2013). Generativity and productive pursuits: Pathways to successful aging in late midlife African American and white women. Journal of Adult Development 20:185-196.
  33. Woods, C. (1996). Gender differences in moral development and acquisition: A review of Kohlberg's and Gilligan's models of justice and care. Social Behavior and Personality, 24(4), 375-384