Women in Lead
Do men and women have different leadership styles?
Yes and no. There are some studies that support this point, but context is important. In general, women tend to have more of a “transformational” style of leadership which is good for engagement, performance, and productivity.Although women tend to be more collaborative and democratic, men can have these skills, too. And while people often view men as having more of a “command and control” leadership style, this isn't exclusively a male attribute.
Women in Lead - Superwoman Graphic
Analysts argue that regardless of gender, having a basic set of leadership qualities and talents is essential for becoming a successful, motivating female leader. But it's clear that blending leadership styles according to context, while remaining authentic, is essential. To be successful, a female leader must understand their leadership style and qualities.
Why is it important to have women in leadership roles?
There are many reasons why women's leadership is essential. Creativity and improved financial success are associated with a more diverse workforce that includes more women in executive positions. According to studies, having women in leadership positions can increase employee engagement, encourage other female employees, and help businesses develop stronger relationships with their clients.
Fun facts:
The shortest presidential term served by a woman was 14 hours.
Switzerland has had the most female presidents.
Females receive more than 60% of the college degrees awarded in the US, annually.
“First Female” facts:
Janet Yellen was the first female “Head of Federal Reserve” in the United States
Helle Thorning-Schmidt was the first female Minister of Denmark
In Africa, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was the first female to be elected President.
Michelle Bachelet was Chile’s first female president.
Indra Nooyi was the first woman to lead PepsiCo, Inc.
What are the main challenges for female leaders?
Although there are more chances for women in the workplace, there is still a significant gender gap in management. Females face discrimination and get stuck in entry-level roles, and many still struggle to obtain and maintain senior-leadership positions.
# Unconscious Bias
Unconscious bias is the first significant challenge that many female leaders face. This can be anything from a belief in gender stereotypes to subconscious attitudes about female capabilities. Bias can also manifest as preferences for women who act, speak, and dress in certain ways. In the management and leadership fields, unconscious biases against female employees are extremely harmful. According to research, these biases can make it much harder (and slower) for women to advance to executive roles than for males.
Women in Lead - Women’s pay vs men’s pay
# Unfair Pay
Although the gender pay gap since the 1990s is narrowing, women in executive positions still earn between 8% and 25% less than male executives in comparable positions. There are fewer female leaders than males in most businesses, but even those at the C-suite levels are often paid less than their male counterparts.Even though equal pay for women leaders should be a goal, that alone is not the answer to this problem. It extends beyond statistics and includes the opportunities given to women in the workplace.
Companies must evaluate the accessibility and availability of promotions. Women are more frequently found in lower-paid leadership positions in many businesses, such as those in marketing or human resources. As a result, these female leaders are paid less because they have smaller opportunities to break into “high-paying” C-suite positions. Companies must allow women to hold positions of leadership at all levels, including those at the top of the corporate ladder, in order to close the gender pay gap.
# Hard to Meet Expectations
Women in Lead - Group of women talking
Despite how harsh it may sound, female leaders frequently have different (or lower) standards than their male colleagues. Even in senior management positions, women are more likely to report feeling forced to:
Integrate likability and respect
Overcome preconceptions
Be mindful of gender-related cultural expectations.
On top of that, worldwide research still indicates women are taken less seriously as leaders than their male counterparts. They are less likely to be assigned "authoritative" roles, and there are generally fewer expectations for them to develop in their careers. Companies must set the bar high enough while also managing unfair expectations if they are sincere about creating a workplace that supports female employees. Women must be given the chance to demonstrate their leadership abilities by receiving appropriate promotions and tasks.
# Limited Possibilities for Career Advancement
Speaking of possibilities and expectations, studies show that it is more common for women to be passed over for promotions. This is especially true between first and second-tier management positions. Many women find it difficult to advance to higher leadership and C-suite positions after they reach the second tier of management. Opportunities simply don't exist, or attract male applicants more frequently.
Women are less likely than men to learn about promotions, and they are much less likely to be hired for the positions. Providing equitable access to promotions and new leadership roles is the best method to support women's career advancement. When it comes to increasing possibilities and building professional networks, mentoring programs and professional development techniques might be helpful.
# Gender-based abuse
Unfortunately, this is still a significant problem. Even powerful women still have to deal with sexual and gender-based harassment.
The following risks increase as more women enter business and leadership positions:
Women in Lead - Woman signalling “stop”
Sexual animosity
Unwelcome physical actions
Offensive remarks or innuendos
Inappropriate sexual attention
According to estimates, 85% of all female employees have experienced sexual harassment at work, at least once. The percentage is probably even higher for women in management and supervisory roles.
To deal with the abuse, many women are compelled to leave their professions, switch careers, or reduce their working hours. Such actions further slow their career advancement and potentially force them to miss crucial opportunities.
Why do we need more women In leadership roles?
1. Women bring fresh perspectives
Since different perspectives result in improved decision-making -diverse experiences and viewpoints are crucial for encouraging creativity. As a result, businesses with greater levels of diversity frequently outgrow those with lower levels of diversity. When women hold leadership positions, the businesses they work for benefit from their skills, fresh perspectives, and structural and cultural diversity, which leads to more effective solutions. With their varied perspectives and sense of awareness, women are better able to examine more minute details to learn what is happening beneath the surface.
2. Women lead more effectively
Men are often seen to be more effective leaders up until the age of 36 to 40. After the age of 40, women become significantly more productive than men, and this trend lasts until the age of 60. Women in executive positions bring skills, fresh viewpoints, and original ideas to the table. However, when these three elements are considered collectively, they aid in the creation of fresh perspectives that improve business decision-making.
3. Females have greater empathy
Empathy is frequently seen as a woman's greatest superpower in terms of the roles she plays in her lifetime. Without passing judgement, an empathic leader can acknowledge that everyone sees the world differently. They are able to empathise with their colleagues, interact honestly, and recognize when they are struggling. In other words, an empathic leader can listen to their team instead of fixing, solving, or dictating -setting them up for success.
In comparison to more authoritative leadership, women are more likely to employ the “empathetic” style of leadership, which increases their ability to persuade people. Being tolerant of different viewpoints and open-mindedness are also necessary for empathy. This also encourages communication amongst individuals in the workplace.
4. Women communicate more effectively
Women succeed at collaborating and communicating in all aspects of daily life. In the workplace, female leaders are seen to speak with intimacy and connection, which makes them better communicators. Male leaders, on the other hand, tend to be authoritative and competitive (which is not always a bad thing). One of the most important skills possessed by women is their ability to communicate. This ability will be used by female leaders to engage in more meaningful conversations with their partners, coworkers, and bosses, resulting in an open channel of communication and a feeling of clarity.
An open communication stream enables clarity in performing roles and responsibilities, whether that be interacting with employers, coworkers, or partners. Female corporate executives are typically able to communicate in a direct and honest manner.
5. Women handle crises better
Women have the qualities of leadership that are most appealing, especially in case of contingency or an emergency of any sort. Examples include the ability to develop people, set clear expectations and rewards, inspire others, act as role models, and engage in participatory decision-making.
Interviews with Female Leaders
Below we’ve asked three female leaders a few questions about their experiences.
An interview with Whitney Jorgensen - CEO of Paperturn
Who inspired you to be a female leader and why?
This is a tricky question to answer directly - I have a very strong Arabic mother who, via osmosis, imparted a lot of strength and confidence in me as a female growing up. She encouraged me to reach for the stars, try and fail hard and explore all opportunities and avenues open to me. She also watched when I failed and gave me the space and responsibility to pick myself up - so, in that way, my mother shaped a lot of the personality traits that I have today that are conducive to being in a leadership role.
On the other hand, I myself wanted to be a female leader to effect change in people’s lives (with a special focus on women’s lives). Every single human being is so unique and so capable - it just takes one person to nurture and help them realise their potential. I wanted to be that person.
Have you ever been afraid of the job?
Perhaps it’s a flaw, perhaps it’s not; but I’ve never been afraid of anything….until I went skydiving.
How do you encourage women to not give up?
I think a key part in encouraging women in general is to equip them with the understanding that they have power. They have power over themselves, over their life, over their decisions and over their futures. Once that perspective becomes ingrained in their belief and decision making systems, there is absolutely nothing they cannot accomplish or overcome.
An interview with Tatevik Revazian - Director General of Civil Aviation Committee at Government of the Republic of Armenia
What is your working directory? And how long did it take to reach it?
I’ve been very lucky to have a mentor early on in life and his advice completely changed the approach to my career. He told me to become the author of my life and write my own story. First, he said that I should identify what I am most passionate about and make sure to know 10 people who are opinion makers in the field worldwide.
Identifying my passion was easy. I grew up next to Copenhagen Airport and would occasionally visit the airport with my friend and dream of places we would visit together. I loved everything related to travel! At age 19, I was hired at the Airport and became fascinated by businessmen constantly travelling the world. One particular passenger even had two passports! From that day on I decided that I would have two passports and travel the world.
Today I’ve visited almost 60 countries. I listened to my mentor and started writing my own story and I am currently in the process of doing exactly that for my next “big thing”. I basically no longer react to job postings. I brainstorm on where I would love to work and what I would love to do and then I approach decision makers and convince them that they need someone like me. I did this with a Silicon Valley-based start-up that had recently received a significant investment. I told the founder I would be in San Francisco and would love to have a coffee with him. When he confirmed his availability, I bought my tickets and actually planned my trip! It was “love at first sight” and soon I was leading their Global Partnerships and truly expanding my network in aviation extensively. They agreed to let me work remotely from Armenia which was a dream of mine.
I was born in Armenia but lived in Denmark from the age of 5 years.
Meanwhile, a peaceful revolution happened in the country and I suddenly found myself on Republic Square in Yerevan along with 200.000 people fighting for the government to resign. And they did! What I didn’t know was that I would suddenly be part of the team bringing change to Armenia. Apparently, someone recommended that I should be part of the new government and I was called in for a meeting with the Vice Prime Minister to speak about my vision to make Armenia more connected to the world. Naively I spoke about what “they” should do to reach those goals. Instead, I was offered a job and became responsible for reaching my own vision. Be careful of what you want, as you just might get it! With this approach, I’ve only worked with what I truly love, and therefore I’ve felt extremely motivated. Motivation leads to concrete steps, steps lead to results and results lead to even bigger opportunities in life. So go for what you love, people!
What is a challenge or a misconception that you had to face as a woman in business?
When I was appointed the Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority in Armenia, I was criticized just for the fact that I am a female and young. No one really focused on who I am and what I can do. With this appointment, I became the world’s youngest Director General of a Civil Aviation Authority and the first female in Armenia. The media articles were referring to me as “the flight ticket sales lady” becoming Director General. I’ve never sold flight tickets, though there is nothing wrong with that! But it’s clear that they were trying to portray me as someone not worthy of this position.
Today, when I read the criticism that Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin has had to listen to, I can completely relate! Apparently, this type of criticism is not only happening in patriarchal countries but also in Scandinavian countries!
That said, I very often get this question about being a female leader, and honestly, I don’t understand why the focus is always on the challenges and not the opportunities that come along with being a female leader. Of course, I do not want to undermine the challenges of being a female leader. The challenges are absolutely real! But sometimes I also think we limit ourselves by focusing on being different and using it as an excuse. I don’t look at myself as a female leader or a man as a male leader.
We are both leaders. We are both equal. However, of course, it does have some advantages and disadvantages being female or male. Being female and especially a mother, I learned to be extremely time sensitive. When you see how fast your children are growing, you feel time in a different way. You become much more efficient because you simply don’t have time to waste on inefficient meetings. Focus is much more on results. Before becoming a mother, I often had meetings until past midnight, but the results didn’t follow as 99% of those meetings were inefficient. Becoming a mother was when I managed to reach the milestone of attracting major investments to start a national airline in Armenia. I succeeded because I was focused on the specific steps I had to take to reach that goal.
What is the advice to women who would like to enter the business world?
I will probably repeat myself a bit, but the key message I want to convey is: Write your own story. Do not look at being a female as a limitation. Focus on how your difference can be used as an advantage.
Also, it is more than possible to create a family (if that is what you want) while you are in a leadership position. Do not postpone this when you are ready. It actually brings advantages as well, as you basically do not have a choice to be inefficient. You find ways to juggle everything much better than before you became a mother. Enjoy the ride, it’s a crazy one, but worthwhile!
Mari Paseva - Marketing and Branding Specialist at Mari Paseva Marketing
What is your working directory? And how long did it take to reach it?
As a Marketing and Branding Consultant, the focus of my work is on helping businesses grow through Strategic Marketing and Branding. Our Boutique Marketing Consultancy provides 1-on-1 Consulting, Strategic Plans, and Development of Brand Identity - all sharing the same foundation in strategic marketing and full customization.
I've been in the business for a few years now, but I started MP Marketing Practice solo in 2020. Since then the team grew to 3, bringing 2 business partners on board - Milena Bugleva - Web Design Specialist, and Christina Zhi - Brand Activations Specialist. Bringing other empowered women completely reshaped the business into what it is today.
What are the benefits of having women in leadership?
The benefits of having women in leadership are endless, really. There is a big difference in the leadership style of men and women. While men are extremely result-driven and often have a singular focus, women are capable of leading an organisation in a more complex and holistic way - taking care of targets being met but also the team and the culture in the company. I believe that women's nature of building communities and taking care of others while getting the work done is an incredible advantage in business and the companies that acknowledge see the benefits of it in their financial statements too.
How can women develop their leadership skills?
I believe that women are born with the same leadership skills as men. We are just usually thought to suppress them instead of embrace them. This being said, the 1st rule of developing better leadership skills is acknowledging that you already have them. Then comes experience and learning from it. If you want to learn to be a better leader take any opportunity you have to practice being in this role and remember to accompany this skill with others such as communications, team management, empathy, self-love and self-respect.
Wrapping Up
Female leaders are a requirement for the twenty-first century. Organisations must empower women with leadership roles if they’d like to be more productive, show their latent potential, and increase workplace diversity. It’s a challenging undertaking that will require the support and participation of everyone in the company.
