Why is it that there are by far fewer women at the top of the corporate ladder than men?
Is it they are not fit for such Leadership roles that being at the top level entails? Or not aggressive enough? Or ….
Are women themselves sabotaging their success through their own beliefs about what it means to be at the CEO level?
The 3 top reasons :
Don’t Want the Role:
One of the prevalent reasons why women are not making it all the way up the corporate ladder is that the more senior leadership roles are not as appealing to them as they are to men. It was found that women by far value the importance of work-family balance — typically motherhood — makes it easier for them to refuse leadership opportunities being offered by organizations.
Add to it the fact that all over the world, women still go home at the end of the day and prepare the meals, maintain their homes, take care of children, and get involved in their school activities far more than men. These may be conscious choices they make or social roles thrust at them but by far, women prioritize home and family life equally if not more than men, making the decision to reach for a greater responsible roles at work more difficult.
Can’t Succeed at the Role:
What prompts this belief could be again several factors such as – not enough female role models of women at CEO level, not enough networking and finally a belief that they cannot succeed due to many challenges that they face in the organisation both as a woman at the work place and at home. All in all, a case of low confidence in their own abilities to rise above gender and societal biases.
Organizational and Social Barriers:
Many organizations don’t really hold gender equality though they may say they do not discriminate between men and women. Thus many hiring and promotion policies favour men. Topped with inflexible work hours or work conditions, women land up accepting more home and family responsibilities than men. Thus losing out on promotions and ultimately reaching for the C – Suite.
Finally, it is often a misconception that there are certain styles, approaches, or behaviours that are required to be a successful leader and that women display less of those skills. Thus making it one of the main damaging reasons why women are seen as less effective leaders by organizations at large.
In the coming topics – we will talk of the contrary – Women Are More Effective Leaders than Men.
