It isn’t news that there is a significant gender gap in leadership, but the reasons for this gap is more complicated than we know. Today, we will focus on hurdles women leaders have to go through in order to use that information to enable them to overcome them.

A study conducted by McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.org’s Women in the Workplace elucidated that women have been doing their part, which is earning more degrees as compared to men, negotiating salaries and asking for promotions at the same rate as male employees, and also staying in the workforce at the same rate as their male counterparts.

The results indicate that the issue goes way deeper, making women feel less supported and underrepresented in leadership. In order to understand this better, we will take a closer look at some of the external and internal hurdles women in leadership face.

External Hurdles

Unequal Treatment –

As a part of a patriarchal society, women get unequal opportunities in terms of advancement and unequal consideration for promotions and projects. It is one of the toughest battles a woman has to fight, which is why building awareness is the first step to reducing the effect of this societal reality.

Lack of Sponsorship and Mentorship –

Many women do not seek leadership development supports or have them offered. Either way,

women who wish to take up leadership positions should ideally surround herself with mentors. It

will offer feedback and experience that is necessary for growth in the workplace.

Unconscious Biases –

Unconscious biases are powerful and tend to work against women and their career advancement subtly. They typically include learned or inherent stereotypes that develop along the lines of age, body mass, sexuality, social status, gender, job title, and ethnicity. We tend to get influenced by these biases, and it also includes women.

Because of this reason, many organizations seek coaching services to make employees aware of their unconscious biases.

Internal Hurdles

Imposter Syndrome –

Research suggests that women tend to doubt and download their qualifications and abilities more than men. As a result, they hesitate on to take the lead on big projects or wait till they have more training, experience, and credentials before asking for a promotion.

Rumination –

As per neuroscience, the brain region that causes worry and rumination is more active and larger in women. It indicates that women tend to take well-though-out actions, but the downside is that they spend a significant amount of time ruminating perceived criticisms and missteps. Sometimes they tend to become so overwhelming that women internalize their perceived failures, eroding confidence and resilience.

Women in leadership coaching are one of the ways to help women leaders overcome these challenges to make their mark in society. Coaches tend to build awareness regarding these mattersto help women be conscious of these hurdles.

Empower Women in Your Organization to Take Leadership Roles with PPCaDI!

Give your women the opportunity to seek leadership positions by availing our coaching services. With world-class coaches at our side, PPCaDI will equip women employees with the ability to break through their original patterns and learn new ones that work in their favor.