Gender Gap in Leadership Remains Wide as Another Year of Women’s Day Celebrations Comes and Goes

International Women’s Day (IWD) and Women’s History Month are more than just a day and a month. They give us an opportunity to not only commemorate trailblazing women for their economic, social, cultural, political, and scientific contributions but also reflect on our efforts to achieve gender equality. As we celebrate this day and month every year, I believe, to really make a difference we need to shine a light on – not just how far we have come but how far we are from truly achieving gender parity.

Sure, there are numerous success stories, and so it should be. It is the 21st century after all, but their struggles are far from over. I believe the progress made so far towards gender equality is marginal at best; especially when it comes to women in leadership. They are still grappling to break patriarchal boundaries to get to a level playing field. Let’s look at the situation through numbers to get a better perspective.

• In America, even though women occupy 52% of management and professional roles/jobs, there is a huge gender gap in top leadership positions.
• In academia, only 32% are professors, and 30% percent college presidents.
• In the technology sector, the numbers are dismal. According to Gartner, approximately only 11% of CIOs are women, a number that has stayed constant over many years.
• The inequality is not just restricted to representation in leadership roles. There is a huge remuneration gap as well. According to an EY survey, female c-suite executives get a 29% lower salary than their male counterparts.

A simple Google search on gender equality in leadership throws a barrage of statistics, all pointing to one glaring fact – Despite the efforts and intentions to create equal opportunities for women, the gender gap remains wide; and even though (due to deep-seated perceptions and biases) we continue to deny their agency, ironically, we have placed the burden largely on women themselves to drive participation, engagement, and empowerment. 

At the very root of this problem, is the mindset that forms our perception, approach, and overall organizational culture. As leaders, we need to actively recognize how regressive mindsets lend to unconscious bias, contributing to the gender gap within the organizations we serve. Unless we face this fundamental challenge and work towards fixing it, any initiatives or efforts toward building a culture of equality and inclusivity will eventually fall by the wayside.

Ramping up recruitment, retention, and promotion of women is a good place to start, but to create a lasting change, leaders need to focus on building the right culture. Because corporate culture is the blueprint that guides workplace attitudes, approaches, and behaviors across all levels and of course company policies, there needs to be an inclusive culture to help promote gender equality and nurture a collaborative, respectful, creative, and performance-driven work environment. That said, I understand changing mindsets and weeding out conscious and unconscious gender bias is a herculean task, and we may fail and succeed at varying degrees. The point is to stay true to the course. It requires consistent efforts, built on gender-equal policies, great practices, and honest, open, and regular dialogue between stakeholders.  

What we are talking about is dismantling stereotypes and prevailing gender norms. Driving a change of this magnitude requires a collective force, and we are trying to achieve exactly that through TechPACT. The idea behind creating TechPACT is to address the issue of underrepresentation within the technology community. The aim is to bridge the digital divide, by providing the resources, continuous support, strategic advice, and guidance needed to build an equitable tech ecosystem. It takes commitment and collective efforts to advance any kind of change. And as leaders, we need to join forces, pledge, and champion the cause of equality in order to build a gender-equal and inclusive tech community.   

The idea that we can’t empathize with our female colleagues is somewhat untenable, in my opinion, and most men fail to truly appreciate the depth and impact of gender bias. But since men are at the core of the gender divide problem, isn’t it only logical that they should be a part of the solution too? Albeit in a non-patronizing and more productive way. Gender bias cannot be addressed unless men and women work together as allies, engage in open, productive, and critical discussion. We must determine focused, actionable solutions and enact and enforce the change together.

The leadership gender gap stifles an organization’s ability to tap into diversity in ideas, talent, and creativity, essentials needed for problem-solving, innovation, and design thinking. I believe IWD and Women’s History Month are a great reminder of how social structures and norms should and can be changed, and how such change affects a lasting transformation and expanded growth opportunities for society at large, resulting in shared development and prosperity.

As I conclude, I would like to quote former first lady Michelle Obama

“The measure of any society is how it treats its women and girls.”

Let us go beyond celebrating a day or a month and be more aware of the barriers and challenges women face and commit to promoting gender equality across all walks of life through a shift in our collective mindset.

I have included a list of inspirational leaders who have inspired my thinking on this subject here. I am certain that if you think, even for a minute, you can come up with your own list:

Adriana Macontre, Smriti (Smriti Krishna) Krishna Singh , Laura Ipsen , Patty Smith, Suja Gusam, Kayathri Periasamy, Aurelie Guerrieri, Jenny Damitio, Monique Daniels , Melody Rose, Ph.D.Mariana Kihuen Maria Schellhase . Pinar ( Topcu) Erbil, Alexa Haun, Jessica Angsomwine, Whitney Kilgore, Janet (Bucek) Sherlock , Bertina Cecarelli, Denise Russell fleming, Sarah Angel-Johnson, Yolanda Sarale, Patty Charlton, Nabila Elassar, Chrissy Weems, Michelle Word, Breigh Feniello, Felishia Menzor, Anne Milkovich, Namita Dallan, Allison West Hughes, Jane Snyder, Muthamma Acharya, Astrid S. Tuminez, Chrissy Coley, Ph.D., Jane Ellen Miller, Juana Ramírez, Michelle (Healy) Reed, Mary Kaye Bailey, Kate Johnson, Jackie Yeaney, Elizabeth Hunterton, Karen Brewer, MJ Maynard, Angelina Lawton, Susan Grajek, Amy Davidson,  Nadia Hansen, Maria Sexton, Missy Young, Mary Beth Sewald, Lisa Belanger, MBA, Cynthia Lopez, Laura Fucci, Wonda Riner, Anneli Adams, Ph.D., Jacque Matthews, Julie Greenfield, Tara Fosbre, Margo Martin, Ed.D., Juanita Chrysanthou,Holly Kortright,  Rhonda Vetere, Melissa Meridith, Jennifer Albrecht, Sabrina Kurani, MBCP, Joerose Tharakan, Debbie Banko, Bhavna Daswani, Nina Pfister, Jessica Cheung-Goldfarb, Stephanie Cavaciuti, Alvina Antar, Sol Rashidi, Elizabeth Coria, Ed.D., Danielle Brown, Jennifer Martinez,Saule (Sulya) Jefferies, Kathleen Grayce Griffith, Hazel Kenady, Pam Kamath, Angela Yochem, Michelle Flynn, Dr. Taryn Marie Stejskal, Linda Ford, Mel Lim, Paige Briggs,Kiley Doll.......