I recently read an article on women’s leadershipthat caught my attention titled “A Meta-Analytic Review of the Gender Difference in Leadership Aspirations”by Netchaeva and colleagues.It has been percolating in my mind and has prompted me to look at my own ideas regarding leadership roles and why I might refrain from taking on such opportunities. I think some valuable insights in this article are worth sharing. I want to summarize a few concepts, including some practical solutions for encouraging women in leadership.

In their study, Ekaterina Netchaeva, Leah Sheppard, and Tatiana Balushkina consider thelack of women in leadership positions in business and politicsin the Western world, pointing out the gap between men and women is even more pronounced in the higher ranks of leadership. They highlight previous research in this area which, in summary, describe that while men and women are equally ambitious, organizations don’t provide women with enough opportunities and support to help them step into leadership roles due to long-heldbias and discrimination.The authors point out that previous research has led to widespread policies and interventions to overcome systemic bias and discrimination, but the gender gap remains.

Netchaeva, Sheppard, and Balushkina consider additional reasons for this continuing gap. They highlight the role stereotypes play when it comes to challenges women leaders face. They note that stereotypes regarding women have improved over the years, including embracing the idea that women and men are equally competent. Still, there are other stereotypes that counteract an overall shift when it comes to leadership. They point to the increasingly accepted stereotypical belief that women are warmer than men and that men have more agency (control or assertiveness). Warmth and submissiveness stereotypes are commonly attributed to women, and they are often at odds with leadership qualities.These stereotypes ultimately interfere with women's aspirations to become leaders. (If women are perceived as warm and submissive, they cannot be effective leaders.)

The authors suggest thatwomen might avoid leadership due to perceived social and career penaltiesthat would come with being more agentic (domineering). If choosing a leadership role goes against a gender-appropriate framework that stubborn stereotypes have perpetuated, it is less comfortable/acceptable/ideal for women to take on that role. More research needs to be done regarding the role of aspiration in the gender leadership gap, but the authors do offer some practical steps organizations can take to shift the trends.

Organizations and gatekeepers cansupport women in their aspirationsto lead by doing the following:

• Determine what encourages women to seek leadership roles and provide these interventions early in women's careers.
• Offer mentors, role models, encouragement, and family-friendly policies in addition to the ongoing policies established to root out discrimination and gender bias in the workplace.
• Provide leadership opportunities and encouragement for women early in educational/academic settings.
• Establish examples of women in leadership capacities in study materials and classrooms, such as having female professors.

A final note from the authors regarding this research stands out as a stark indication that intervention needs to be early:

"Our results further demonstrate that the gender difference in leadership aspirations emerges before individuals graduate from college and join the workforce, which suggests that it will persist if more attention is not devoted to interventions that occur both before and during the time when individuals are in the workforce(Netchaeva, 2022, p. 14)."

This study considers aspirations, influenced by long-held stereotypes, as a contributing factor to the lack of women in leadership roles. The stereotypes that often underlie bias and discrimination also impact our own perceptions and aspirations.Identifying these stereotypes regarding women in leadership and replacing them with new perspectivesis key to shifting towards a more balanced representation of women in leadership roles. These concepts have inspired me to reexamine my own leadership aspirations and encourage young girls and women to see leadership as a role well within their reach.

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Source

Netchaeva, E., Sheppard, L. D., & Balushkina, T. (2022). A meta-analytic review of the gender difference in leadership aspirations.Journal of Vocational Behavior,37(103744), 1-23.