Women Leadership – Challenges & Way Forward!
As we celebrate the women of today, let us explore what it takes to be the woman we aspire to be - the strengths, struggles, and way forward!
They say women are from Venus; no wonder they bring unique attributes, perspectives, and competitive edge to companies that they work with. Some of the apparent advantages they bring are:
Work-life balance: Issues like long working hours, working on weekends, and after-office meetings that hinder the work-life balance are severe deterrents for women who continuously struggle to keep up with their family responsibilities at home. However, with more women on board, in decision-making positions, work-life balance should improve.
Gender discrimination: Work practices have evolved based on men’s working style; many organizational features reflect men’s lives and situations, making it challenging for women to embark, stay, and pursue the course of leadership. Women leaders create less gender discrimination in recruitment, promotion, and retention. As they understand women’s challenges better and can effectively create a supportive environment for women facing challenges during their pregnancy, and child care. One of the exemplary women leaders I would like to quote is ‘Ms. Maya Hari’, Twitter, APAC, Managing Director. Known for creating an inclusive work environment, she is well-respected and loved by Twitter’s employees for her democratic and open management style. She drives initiatives such as ‘active women’s mentor and sponsors for @TwitterWomen and SWAT (Super Women At Twitter) employee resource groups’.
Diversity: Women comprise at least 50% of global consumers and are increasingly responsible for household financial decisions. More women on board would enhance understanding of consumer behaviour from a woman’s standpoint and challenge gender stereotypes. Needless to mention that a multiplicity of perspectives can spark creativity and innovation and help organizations spot and seize more opportunities.
They say women are from Venus; no wonder they bring unique attributes, perspectives, and competitive edge to companies that they work with. Some of the apparent advantages they bring are:
Companies across all sectors with the most women on their boards of directors significantly and consistently outperform those with no female representation (McKinsey).
Companies with significant numbers of women leaders fare better in periods of greater economic volatility (Thompson Reuters).
To quote an example, Apple, which is No. 1 on Fortune’s list, has 19 women out of 107 top executives. Across the board, women fill 29% of their leadership roles.
Women have been outnumbering men at most universities since the 1970s (1). Yet, the global average of women in senior management positions remains flat!
It is surprising that only about 34% of global managers are women. 68% of the world gap remains closed for the gender gap for roles such as managers, senior officials, and legislators. Notably, 67% to 74% of the respective gap has been bridged for gender gaps in labour market participation and technical roles. This comparison highlights that while gender-biased labour market outcomes have improved, women’s presence in management roles is one of the main barriers to overcome. Both in the public and private sectors, to achieve full economic gender parity (2).
Only 5% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women. In 2017 the number reached an all-time high of 32 but had slid back down to 24. Leading to a one-year decline of 25% (3)
Women only hold 30% of senior management roles in Singapore.
- Projecting current trends into the future will take 108 challenging years to overcome the global gender gap. The most challenging gender gaps to close are the economic and political empowerment dimensions, which will bring 202 and 107 years to complete, respectively (2).
Reasons behind the disparity.
When asked to name the top three reasons women are under-represented, 37% of all Singapore respondents cited family pressures or commitments outside of work.
Only 37% of Singapore females think their current employer has clear and enforced policies on gender diversity, equality, and inclusion.
Only 49% of women surveyed feel that their organization lacks fair and equal representation of female business leaders. Additionally, 32% believe it is due to management’s preference to promote men over women, and 30% attributed it to a workplace culture that does not actively foster diversity, inclusion, and equality.
Reasons behind the disparity.
Domestic responsibilities fall more on women than men, to the ratio of 2:1 (5). It is, therefore, not surprising that women take time out for “family time.” In contrast, men take time out to change careers or for reasons having severe implications, such as – lost income, impeded career growth, depreciation of skills, and difficulty in reestablishing one’s career.
Women are more likely to take a break from their employment than men. 37% of professional women voluntarily dropped out of employment at some point in their lives vs 24% of men (6).
- Working mothers are seen as less dedicated to work and often earn less (7).
- Working mothers often struggle with public opinion, as they are seen as more self-oriented and as less dedicated to their children than stay-at-home mums – especially when they are believed to work because of a personal choice rather than financial necessity (8).
- Women lack role models, as most of the leadership positions are occupied by men. They have to walk in uncharted waters at the workplace and find little help in finding their foot.
- Women are faced with two choices – Competent or Likeable, but rarely both. They are often faced with a double dilemma. When they act empathetically, in a caring and nurturing way, which is consistent with gender stereotypes, they are viewed as too soft and less competent leaders. On the other hand, when women act strongly, take tough decisions, speak assertively, and seek compliance, which are ways that are inconsistent with the stereotypical image of women, they are considered too tough, shrewd, cold, and cunning.
- Women find it difficult to negotiate, especially when it comes to salary. As per research by Lean in Organization, “Women who negotiate for a promotion or compensation increase are 30% more likely than men who negotiate to receive feedback that they are bossy, too aggressive, even intimidating.”
- No wonder “for every 100 women promoted to manager, 130 men are promoted”. And by the time women reach the SVP level, they hold merely 20% of line roles, and the line roles lead more directly to the C-suite. To quote, 90% of new CEOs in the S&P 500 were promoted or hired from line roles in 2015.” (9)
Women do not aspire to the top positions. “Only 40% of women are interested in becoming top executives, compared to 56% of men. Women and men worry equally about work-life balance and company politics. However, women with and without children are more likely to say they don’t want the pressure, and women who want a top job anticipate a steeper path than men who do.” (9)
Only a heart full of love, happiness & fulfillment can share its joy with others. Before nurturing others, you need to heal first!
Find what you want. Once you do, bring it on! It is never too late to learn, re-skill, or up-skill yourself.
Be confident. Nothing can stop you until you stop trying.
- Don’t hesitate to seek help from men; make them see your perspective, and share your struggle. They can only help once they know your part of the story. Working with more and more women, especially in leadership positions, might be new to them too. Remember John Grey’s book “Men are from Mars & women from Venus? It is okay if men think differently; create a common ground, and let them see where you are coming from.
- Go out and network, and find a mentor/sponsor. Your network impacts your net worth. If you see someone as a potential mentor, talk to them, don’t wait for them to approach you. If you identify a sponsor who can pitch you for a new position, don’t hesitate to share your capabilities with them. Shed that hesitation, it might be flattering for them to be of help too, or they might like to help and support you in your initiative.
- Promote sisterhood. Women in senior positions should try to mentor their juniors. Women, in general, should stand up to support other women.
- Don’t fall into the perfection loop. There is never a perfect time. Go for it as soon as you can. Studies indicate that eighty per cent of women set the bar very high for themselves professionally, as they often think they need to be perfect!
Dream! And chase your dreams passionately, unabashedly, and unapologetically!
Women hold half of the sky,
never shy away from getting your share of the sunshine!
(References mentioned below)
Women face invisible barriers that arise from cultural beliefs, workplace structures, practices, and patterns of interaction that are not supportive of women. Our Women Leadership Training programs and coaching are astutely designed the "empower the women from within and help them develop a mindset that is designed to succeed!"
Discover ‘social & emotional strengths and weaknesses’, and understand the impact of the same on personal and professional lives.
Develop innate capabilities into core strengths.
Learn to navigate through challenging situations with ease.
- Enhance conflict management, stress management, and communication skills.
Develop leadership skills – learn to inspire others by building an emotional connection utilizing the most robust energy that moves people instantly and creates sustainable synergies.
(References mentioned below)
SOLVING PEOPLE’S ISSUES IS OUR BUSINESS!
References:
