Why Women Leaders Still Fall Behind

Women are making huge strides around the world. As I write, the victorious women of the United States national soccer team are enjoying their ticker-tape parade in New York City—the first such honor for a women’s sports team.

Have you noticed women’s success in sports? Female athletes took 55.8 percent of all Olympic medals for the US in 2012 and 60 percent of their total medals. And it’s not just sports where you find women in the vanguard.
Corporations with women on their boards perform 26 percent better than those with all-male boards. Specifically 16 percent greater ROI.

I’ve uncovered a raft of data from a variety of sources, including Recognizing Women’s Leadership: Strategies and Best Practices for Employing Excellence by Tiffani Lennon. Her book and my research address some encouraging as well as discouraging news.

For example, women make up 60 percent of the world’s best-selling authors. Female school principals run 60 percent of the best-performing high schools. They receive 56 percent of national research distinction from the National Institutes of Health, National Education Association, Institute of Education Sciences, National Science Foundation, and the Social Science Research Council.

So why are women 30 percent less likely to obtain tenure? Why are they less likely to have direct reports? Why do they receive less mentoring and get assigned to fewer challenging and critical assignments? Especially when they perform better as professional investors.

But wait. Since 2008-2009, women have enjoyed an overall increase in holding leadership roles in ten employment sectors. Isn’t that great news? No.

The increase comes to less than 2 percent. Even more discouraging is that the slight rise goes from a paltry 18 to only 20 percent.

In 5 Ways Women Are Better Bosses Than Men, author Barry Moltz says women leaders are better communicators, better listeners, and better community and consensus builders. They possess stronger business ethics, more patience, are less likely to jump to conclusions, make rash decisions, or act too soon.

So why are they more likely to be excluded from informal networks that help advance career development? Why are they more likely to be siloed into staff positions and less likely to win international assignments?

Author and researcher Kenneth Nowack concludes from his research in Women ARE Better Leaders Than Men (Sometimes) that, compared to men, women leaders use a more participative or democratic approach and a less autocratic style. They are generally more aware of their emotions and exhibit more empathy.

I’m afraid I’ve just scratched the surface of inequity and under-appreciation.

So What’s the Deal?

We humans still harbor deep, often unconscious, biases bred into us long ago. In general, the educated and enlightened among us understand this and work to overcome all kinds of prejudice. But if we ever hope to live up to our high visionary ideals, such as “all men are created equal” (ironically still tinged with sexism), we have to work consciously to break down bias.

In order to quiet and eventually eliminate bias, men and women have to go through a thoughtful and deliberate process. In Six Steps to Changing Brains, I spell out each step, but here they are in brief:

1. Recognize the Need for Change
2. Re-label Your Reactions
3. Reflect on Your Expectations and Values
4. Refocus Your Behavior
5. Respond with Repetition
6. Revalue Your Choices in Real Time

Lead the Fight Against Bias

For even more about how you as a leader can address all kinds of unconscious biases, see Dive Deep to Address Resistance to Change. I also strongly recommend our CoachQuest Leader-as-Coach Program. There you will learn and practice the leadership skills you need to address alongside leaders like you from other organizations with many of the same challenges. Learn more about CoachQuest.

Sources

• Recognizing Women’s Leadership: Strategies and Best Practices for Employing Excellence by Tiffani Lennon
• Women ARE Better Leaders Than Men (Sometimes) by Kenneth Nowack
• 5 Ways Women Are Better Bosses Than Men by Barry Moltz
• Women’s Bias Against Women by Dr. Robert Lusson

 
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