Help the Context of Women in Leadership Roles
Context – the conditions which influence the perception of performance – can make it more difficult for women to access leadership positions. It can be changed, but we all need to do our part to improve the context of women.
Context – the conditions which influence the perception of performance – can make it more difficult for women to access leadership positions. It can be changed,
but we all need to do our part to improve the context of women.
I recently discovered some interesting research on context. It compared the experiences of women in leadership positions in Norway and France. Women in Norway, where they have long accepted women in politics, felt a strong sense of legitimacy in leadership roles. Conversely, their sisters in France, where women have historically wielded power as mistresses rather than as elected officials, were marginalized. They felt they had to repeatedly prove themselves.
The conclusion of the study was that women face the most resistance when they try to access leadership roles in traditionally male-dominated fields, where people aren’t used to seeing women.
While it is now accepted to have women in middle management it is still “out of context” to see them as military commanders, presidents, or CEOs. This context puts women in a tough position to overcome gender stereotypes and take top leadership positions.
There are two things each of us can do to help reduce these context barriers:
1) Don’t accept “token” women. In every department, on every management team, and on every board, we need at least the “power of three” for our voice to be heard. Our gender will be blamed for any perceived errors when women are isolated, which creates a negative context.
2) Support women in leadership positions. The more familiar society becomes with women in roles characterized as masculine, the greater ability we’ll have to transcend obstacles for our gender. By encouraging women to try for these jobs and then looking for positive attributes in their performance (rather than focusing on the negative), we can improve the context for women collectively.
More women, filling more top leadership positions, with more support from all of us. It’s a great way to improve the context for women!
