Women in Leadership: We've Made Progress, But Still Have a Ways to Go

We are in a time when women are making a lot of headlines…

Winning a seat in Congress
US Women’s Soccer team winning the World Cup and fighting for equal pay

Some of these wins are creating contentious and even controversial conversations.

That said, it’s interesting to take a broader look at women in leadership. According to Guidant Financial, four of every ten US businesses are owned by women, with female-led businesses having grown 58 percent from 2007 to 2018. And according to Entrepreneur Life, as of 2018…

women own more than 12 million businesses in the US,
women have majority ownership in nearly 40% of all US firms, and
nearly 2,000 new women-owned businesses opened every day in 2018.

Women are making progress, but we still have a way to go. Even today, there’s still the perception that an assertive woman is bossy. Plus, women often may feel they need to be “tough” to gain credibility as a leader.

According to a recent report by McKinsey and Company and LeanIn.org, 2018 Women in the Workplace:

Men hold 62% of Manager positions, compared to 38% of women; and only 22% of C-suite executives are women.
Women are far more likely to be “onlys” and suffer more for it when they are.
35% of women in full-time, corporate sector jobs have experienced sexual harassment.
29% of women believe their gender will be an obstacle to advancement.

According to a study by Science of People, women do lead differently than men. Women tend to be more transformational leaders, where men tend to be transactional leaders. The study found that women, as transformational leaders, focus on building morale, teamwork, and an inclusive team, where everyone has the same shared vision.

This transformational leadership style lends itself well for the role women can play in the workplace and life in general to lift other women up. A few strategies to do so include:

Become a mentor to help develop other females into leaders
Be a role model, inspiring others
Promote women-led businesses on social media
Support women led businesses (purchasing and partnering)
Encourage high potential women to join professional organizations
Support and sponsor events for women such as leadership & networking
Hire female professionals
Be a resource for other women, sharing resources as well as successes
Question the status quo

Overall, women entrepreneurs have made leaps and bounds over the last decade. We’re launching businesses, growing them to new heights, and tackling barriers as we go. But, it’s going to take all of us working together to even the playing field.

Join strategic HR inc. as we partner with PRADCO to offer an opportunity to help develop our future Women in Leadership. This comprehensive program includes three full days of group discussion, leverages individual assessments results, and one individual coaching session to help women reach their potential. Learn more and register.

Thank you to Robin Throckmorton, MA, SPHR, SHRM- SCP and Cathleen Snyder, SPHR, SHRM-SCP with strategic HR inc. for sharing their insights and findings on Women in Leadership. If you have any questions or would like to share your comments, contact us at info@strategicHRinc.com.