Wondered where women stand in the board of leadership?
Do you know the number of women in a leadership position?
Or have you ever thought about how many women are in the top paying positions?
A research by Fortune displayed women are running 23 of the Global 500 leadership positions. Even though this number has shown a great stride from the year 2020 which was 14, it still constitutes about 4.6 % of the total number. Thus providing a clear image, how men are leading the charts. Well, if this was not enough, here is something more:
- Women hold only 24% of senior leadership positions globally.
- According to a research, roughly 22,000 publicly traded companies around the world, 60% of them have no female board members.
- In 2019, women occupied about the same share of managerial jobs as they had in 1995, at 28%.
- Women make up 45% of the S&P 500 workforce, but only 4% of CEOs.
- In full-time workers in the United States, there is still a considerable salary difference between men and women. On average, women make 79% of what men earn.
- According to a World Bank assessment of businesses, the percentage of female Chief Executive Officers is 18%.
- On average, women earned 76 cents for every dollar earned by men (Urban Institute 2004).
Despite these sobering figures, women are making progress and gaining influence in leadership positions around the world. These figures honor twenty-three of these women, their accomplishments, the values and visions they bring to and execute in their organizations, and the contributions they have made. Despite the challenges and the discriminatory treatment that women have to face in an organizational structure, these women have overcome these obstacles. The 2015 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report showed that women-owned enterprises have grown 1.5 times faster than the overall increase in new firms. If this is the case, then why not women in leadership positions?
Table of Contents
The early stages of Women in Leadership
The term “glass ceiling” came into existence in 1986 to describe an impermeable social barrier to women’s advancement in management. It’s an invisible barrier that keeps women out of top-level employment simply because they’re women, rather than because they lack job-relevant abilities, education, or experience. The term ‘glass ceiling’ became a popular metaphor to explain why so few women progressed up the corporate ladder and why they were often subjected to more stringent promotion standards.
Despite the fact that the early phase saw women in leadership in a deplorable state, they rose to the top and overcame some of the barriers women face on their path to leadership. In many for-profit and charity organizations, they were underrepresented in leadership positions. If women did hold positions of leadership, they were frequently evaluated lower than their male colleagues with identical backgrounds and experience, and they were paid far less than their male counterparts. Women were undermined, paid less, were not promoted, they still made better leaders than men.
Roles of Women in Leadership
Better Teamwork
Leadership is all about teamwork. One person cannot alone run the entire organization. They need the support of their team. Thus comes the role of a leader. Wherein they work with their team in the most efficient manner.
Women as leaders are better when it comes to being team players. They are more cooperative and bring an emotion of family in the work structure. The subordinates feel valued in this family-like structure and give their best for the success of the company.
Superior leadership values
Women make bold decisions, they are not easily swayed by the know-how of office politics. They have superior leadership values that make them step up their game, and help them be better recognized by their team member. They create a less authoritative environment for their employees, which boosts the morale of the team.
Clearer Vision
Women as leaders have a clear vision. They have a clear understanding of the need of the organization. They know how to work in a structure that requires a pure vision that is well coordinated with the agenda of the team. They lead the future leaders which means they lead by example, they lead the way they would want to be led. This makes their team feel valued and above all, their goals align with the goals of the company.
Better Communication
Women are often recognized for their ability to communicate. And this is true!
Women listen carefully rather than jumping to solutions. They know that problems are better solved with patience. As leaders, they always let their subordinates communicate their ideas with the team and also consider them for implementation. And if in case they don’t find them helpful, they let them know where their idea fell flat.
Integrity
Integrity is one of the most important qualities of a leader. It determines how the leader will behave with their subordinates. Women as leaders apologies for their mistakes, respect and appreciate the employee’s contributions, and above all, they highlight their employee’s efforts and work. Employees remain honest with their leaders as they are better satisfied and recognize their value.
Accountability
Women are great leaders. They recognize and hold accountability for their actions as well as the actions of their team. They do not shy away from taking the blame and always give credit to the individuals who deserve them. They lead by example and pave their way towards the success of the team and the organization.
Accountability is not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable.
Women today, are unstoppable. They have the freedom to be or be anything they want, and they are creating the mechanisms that will allow them to do so. More importantly, they are creating a real impact on our community.
Coco Chanel, a French fashion designer paved her way by removing the layers and corsets that women were accustomed to wearing, she transformed the way the female figure looked in apparel. Kamala Harris, the first female vice president of the United States, defied patriarchal expectations to reach the top. Former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was Africa’s first democratically elected female president.
All these women have reached the top, regardless of the titles they hold. Each of these stories is a stepping stone toward a greater knowledge of how to assist, promote, and empower women executives in the future. The parallels in these women’s trajectories, combined with the various experiences they’ve had, serve as a compass pointing us in the correct direction—toward a new world of women leaders.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the early state of women in leadership?
The state of women at the early stages of women in leadership showed a deplorable state. They had to face challenges and discriminatory treatment in an organizational structure. They were not given higher positions. And, if they were put in a managerial position they were not treated well.
What is the role of women in leadership?
The roles of women in leadership position make them better team players, they have clearer vision, they communicate better and they are more accountable. They do not shy away from taking the blame and always give credit to the individuals who deserve them.
Why are women as leaders better team players?
When it comes to being a team player, women as leaders are superior. They are more cooperative and instill a sense of belonging in the workplace. In this family-like structure, subordinates feel valued and give their all to ensure the company’s success.
What are the statistics on women holding a leadership position?
Some statistics on women holding leadership positions are as follows:
Women hold only 24% of senior leadership positions globally.
The percentage of female Chief Executive Officers is 18%.
They earned 76 cents for every dollar earned by men (Urban Institute 2004).
What is glass ceiling?
In 1986, the term “glass ceiling” was used to denote an impenetrable social barrier to women’s development in managerial positions. It’s an unspoken barrier that keeps women out of top-level jobs merely because they’re female, rather than because they lack job-relevant skills, education, or experience.
