Study finds the reason why women are not seen as leaders in the corporate world

No matter how much women work hard to prove their mettle in the corporate world, it seems gender-stereotyping still continue to be a hurdle in their way. A study done by the University of Buffalo School of Management says men are more likely to emerge as leaders, and proves that the gender gap still persists in the corporate sector.

The researchers of this study analysed aggregated data from last 59 years that comprised of around 136 studies done on this subject and had more than 19,000 participants.

The researchers concluded that gender gap has reduced in the recent decades but it still exists, and primary reason behind it is the ‘societal pressure’ that leads to different personality traits in male and females. How? Read on.

The researchers emphasised how men tend to be more assertive and dominant and on the other hand, women are more likely to be more communal, cooperative and nurturing. Therefore, men are more likely to participate and speak up during group discussions and meetings and perceived to have ‘leader like’ qualities. Unfortunately, this perception has turned out to be a huge impediment in the career of women who also have great potentials to be leaders.

The research indicates that feminine traits (showing sensitivity and concern) make women less likely to be seen as a leader but in reality, these very qualities make them ideal candidates for leadership roles. “Thus, because of this unconscious bias against communal traits, organizations may unintentionally select the wrong people for leadership roles, choosing individuals who are loud and confident but lack the ability to support their followers’ development and success,” shares Emily Grijalva, one of the authors of this study.

The researchers also pointed out that a participant’s age did not have an effect on gender gap. However, the length of time participants spent together helped change one’s attitude towards gender-gap.

“The gender gap was strongest during the first 20 minutes people were together, similar to an initial job interview, but weakened after more than one interaction,” explain Grijalva. Perhaps, the researchers suggest companies should conduct multiple interviews to reduce gender bias and in turn, select the most deserving candidate.

Sometimes, gender-stereotypes are so deeply ingrained in a person’s mind that he or she may fail to acknowledge it. The researchers advised that managers should be more mindful about any such behaviour that they or their team member might have. Also, a manager must promote ‘communal behaviour’ (which is in turn, gender neutral) in performance evaluations and encourage quieter individuals to share their ideas. This would help female as well as male employees to perform better, and step into leadership roles regardless of their gender.

(All the images used here are representational)