Abstract
Introduction. In the process of training management personnel, the development of leadership qualities and in particular the study of gender differences in leadership styles are particularly relevant. The importance of this issue is reinforced by official statistics, which show that women are increasingly represented in traditionally male-dominated occupations. This category includes women working in law enforcement agencies and the Federal Penitentiary Service.
Methods. The assessment instruments applied to a comparative study of leadership qualities in young men and women studying at educational institutions of the Federal Penitentiary Service were as follows: (a) the questionnaire developed by us to assess cadets’ knowledge of leadership characteristics, (b) the Leadership Skills Inventory, (c) the Leadership Self-Assessment Short-Form Survey, (d) the Communication and Organizational Skills Inventory (COS-2), (e) the Management Orientations Inventory, (f) the Cattell 16 PF Questionnaire (Form A), (g) the California Psychological Inventory, and (h) the Self-Management Ability Inventory. The Mann-Whitney U-test was used in data processing.
Results. In total, 661 participants (365 males and 296 females, aged 18 to 23) took part in the study. Differences were found between male and female students in their perception of the importance of each of the personality traits examined, as well as the most important qualities of an ideal leader. Female students rated their leadership qualities lower than male students, which is accompanied by a more critical attitude towards themselves. Female students were also more sensitive, diplomatic, careful, conventional, and prone to suppressing their feelings than male students.
Discussion. The findings on personality differences between male and female students correlate with previous studies on leadership styles, which suggests that female students are more oriented towards emotional and communicative styles, while male students are more oriented towards transactional and authoritative styles. The findings suggesting a lack of gender specificity in the cadet self-governance system are likely related to the specific nature of education at a departmental university and, according to Russian authors, are due to the age-specific nature of student populations.
Conclusion. For the first time, data have been obtained that reflect the need to develop leadership skills among FPS cadets. In this process, it is important to consider gender specificities and focus on the development of different qualities among young men and women.
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