Numerous studies show that we are not born with a male or female profile. Statistically, there are no no significant difference between the results obtained by men and women on personality personality criteria, cognitive abilities and aptitudes. In fact, men and women are similar. The only significant differences – apart from biological ones – are the product of social and societal constructs. So if there are no “real differences”, how can we explain why men’s success surpasses that of women? What predisposes men to leadership?
Gender equality
From childhood onwards, all individuals are socialization. Boys and girls are unconsciously treated differently from an early age. This has given rise to many stereotypes. In particular, we find the injunction for boys to be self-confident, action-oriented and therefore predisposed to leadership, and for girls to be careful and take up less space. This differentiated socialization will condition the course of events in the lives of men and women.
The stereotype of brilliance has an impact on success
This concept of differentiated socialization can be compared with the system found in almost all companies. The center of the action, dominated by the management committee, is made up mostly of men. They are 80% men on the management boards of CAC40 companies.
These stereotypes are the result of deep-rooted patterns in our society. They are the fruit of numerous cognitive biases and popular beliefs. It is often assumed that the cognitive abilities are more often found in men than in women. than women. In short, that men are smarter!
This bias is called the “brightness stereotype” and is one of the explanations for the gender gap in access to many professions. It has harmful consequences for girls’ career orientationstheir interest in scientific subjects, and even impacts on their performance in the field.
The question of corporate leadership
In today’s society, a man is expected to be competent and a woman to be warm. Therefore, their priorities and motivations must differ according to these criteria. Each gender should therefore respect this established order, or risk suffering negative consequences.. Women who adopt a leadership role, who have a direct communication style and a strong ambition, are most of the time very poorly perceived.
What it takes to be a leader
Representations of management have not changed in 20 years. In the collective representation, a good manager must possess :
- The strength
- Tyranny
- Charisma
- Masculinity
- Intelligence
These implicit leadership theories are old-school management criteria and are generally associated with men. Gendered socialization enables men to be self-confident in society and business, which reinforces the impression that they are more charismatic than women.
Gender bias in the workplace
Nearly a third of managers still believe that there is a difference in skills linked to an individual’s genetic make-up. It’s thought that women aren’t naturally suited to positions requiring leadership, because they’re not born with the requisite characteristics. However, when they meet the criteria valued for being a manager, they are discriminated against because they fall outside the framework and social expectations to which they are expected to respond.
This flawed organization is the consequence of popular beliefs that gendered human potential by inducing unfounded expectations of each sex.
Opening up managerial positions to women
What limits women’s access to leadership positions are gender stereotypes and managerial representations that discriminate against them. And these principles are still used in recruitment methods. Companies perpetuate a system that promotes men, whereasthere are no specific leadership predispositions.
Actions to be taken within the company
It’s not impossible to transform things, even if stereotypes are firmly entrenched within the company. What really works, more committed actions with the participation of management already in place to review the company’s foundations and DNA. This can be done by :
- ensuring that recruitment and promotion processes are impartial and involve a diverse set of decision-makers
- creating work models that support men and women with family responsibilities
- and the commitment and recognition of members of the decision-making committee and existing managers through visible, committed actions.
These actions allow for a more fluid and natural alignment on the part of all employees, and drastically reduce sexism in the workplace.
If potential is genderless, there’s little reason why a job, a task or a sector should be. Beyond each woman’s career, it’s the growth of companies that is also impacted by this biased system. According to the study conducted by EVE, halving gender inequality in the workplace could generate 12% global growth. Companies with no women on their leaderboards underperform by an average of 18%, while those with mixed governance outperform. And companies with more than 35% women on their management team grow by more than 60% more than those that remain male-dominated.
