That there remains a gender gap in leadership roles is sadly still undeniable, despite efforts and legislation designed to improve matters in recent years. Research from the University of Toledo’s John B. and Lillian E. Neff College of Business and Innovation highlights how men are often perceived to better leaders, and this bias contributes to the gender gap in senior roles.
The analysis of leadership assessments of women highlights the gap between the perception of women’s leadership abilities and the reality, with the researchers suggesting this is likely to result in incredibly slow improvements in equality in senior leadership unless the gap is addressed.
“The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women’s career progression will likely be felt for years to come as many women stepped away from the workforce,” the researchers say. “This can only exacerbate the slow progress of women moving more fully into senior leadership roles—something that organizations and society must be fully attentive to correcting.”
Effective leadership
The researchers argue that effective leadership is often regarded as requiring strong social skills to engage and inspire others, with these skills and behaviors commonly associated with women. While these skills, together with those such as empathy, emotional intelligence, and teamwork, are commonly exhibited by women, they still tend to score poorly in leadership performance assessments.
The researchers collected data from leaders at a financial service firm and found that women were penalized in performance reviews even when they displayed leadership characteristics. This was compounded by female leaders also being punished when they exhibited traditionally masculine characteristics, such as a task orientation and competitive behavior.
“Entrenched archetypes that define leadership as a masculine enterprise remain in spite of data that relates more stereotypical feminine behaviors to effective leadership,” the researchers say. “Our study found no evidence of acknowledging this more contemporary view of leadership when organizations actually assess women’s performance and potential for leadership.”
Changing the dynamic
There is a clear need to change the dynamic in our workplaces, but it’s equally clear that it should not be beholden on the women to change but rather the systems and cultures they operate in so those leadership opportunities are equally offered.
The authors urge leaders to fully examine their organization’s policies and practices to understand how they might be impeding the progression of women into leadership roles.
“Hiring procedures, training and development opportunities, benefits packages, leave policies, and performance, salary and promotional evaluations can all play a part in contributing to gender stereotypes,” they say. “Organizational systems that rely on a limited framework for essential leadership behaviors will restrict their ability to recruit and develop outstanding leaders.”
