Gender Bias in Leadership
In March, we celebrate Women’s History Month by recognizing the women who fought for equality to make inroads for so many, while also supporting the women who will lead the generation of tomorrow. As we reflect on the many gains women have made, we must acknowledge how far we must go.
For many, 2020 highlighted the increasingly complex world, social inequity, and the global connectedness of commerce. More importantly, it magnified the need for quality and resilient leadership.
Women left the workforce in record numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to run up against long standing barriers in being elevated to top leadership positions. While women make up almost half of the U.S. labor force and outnumber men in earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Further, women have long scored higher than men in most identified leadership skills (Zenger & Folkman, 2019).
Yet, women only retain about 7.2% of Fortune 500 CEO positions and 25% of C-suite jobs in the top 1000 companies (American Association of University Women, 2021).
To increase equity and opportunity for women in leadership positions across industries it is crucial for both men and women to contribute to creating facilitative environments for future women leaders. Critical to this cause is to create work cultures that values, rewards, and supports individual differences. Cultures that value equality create an environment where both men and women are likely to rise to senior leadership positions.
This task is clearly easier said than done. But the following tips can help you get started towards creating a more equitable culture and push your organization towards developing leaders of all identities who will lead the next generation.
Commit to Awareness:
Key to disrupting the current status quo is getting clear on where your organization’s inequities exist. Encourage senior leaders and department heads to understand where inequity is showing up in their team, department, and the organization. This process can include facilitating conversations for employees to talk about their experiences of marginalization and discrimination.
Understand the Barriers:
Identify and work to dismantle the barriers that are keeping marginalized groups from rising. Work towards finding flexibility. Research finds that women still face massive inequities in retaining primary caregiver responsibilities at home while being expected to perform better than men at work. This research has allowed us to understand the challenges women face in rising in traditional environments. Open communication with women in your organization can help you understand these barriers and work to find equitable solutions.
Keep Trying:
Dismantling long held inequities and barriers takes time and you won’t always get it right. What matters is that you and your organization are trying and open to feedback. This topic has long been a hot button for organizations that they have strayed away from. In 2022, employees and clients are paying more attention than ever to those who are speaking up and those who don’t.
If CMA can serve you or your team in any way, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
