In 2015 I heard a client say he was not going to promote a particular woman into a management position, even though she was the best candidate.
His reason? She’d have to manage another woman and ‘we all know women can’t manage women’.
I’ll let you get back on your chair and take a deep breath.
Hopefully there are very few companies that still think like that. But I still get calls from women who are frustrated by some large global organisations being Boys’ Clubs.
In organisations everywhere, women often struggle to be included in strategic conversations, are given less high profile opportunities and according to Robin Hauser even where the structure has been put in place to give them mentors, the mentors are considered lower quality than those given to men.
Women outperform men – having higher performance scores at review and yet companies are more likely to promote the men with lower scores – one of the reasons being that they don’t want the (lower performing) men to leave.
Ho hum. You could be forgiven for getting angry or depressed, or hiding a bottle of gin in your desk drawer.
There are 3 focusses for women who want to overcome barriers to leadership.
- Domestic
- Organisational
- Personal
Women need more than equality at work, they need equity – for them to be given the support and resources needed to reach the same outcome as men.
Why? Not just because women deserve it, having often sacrificed years to raise the next generation, on which the company she works for probably depends for future profit, but also because companies with women in leadership are more successful financially and for the individuals who work within it.
