The duality female business leaders fight

Why are the numbers of women who reach the top senior positions within their organisations still a fraction of the male representation? According to Catalyst , in 2016 women in the USA hold just a quarter of executive and senior leadership positions.

What makes the upper business world so challenging for women? Could it be that female business leaders have to work in a business world that is full of double standards? Is it the fact that stereotypes about women in business are so deeply ingrained that they discourage women from building a career? And how do we battle the stereotyped ‘dualities’ that hinder our progress … and that we need to balance on daily basis.

Charm vs. Power

As a female CEO I often observe that when I go to a networking event, I can usually count the number of women in the room on the fingers of one hand. During business networking events women are expected to be warm and charming when meeting new people, yet they are also scrutinised very closely when they have to be assertive and negotiate a deal in a male-dominated business environment. The ability to win people’s hearts over when you meet them and then having to confront them when a tough decision has to be made is hard to master — and it can make the business world a challenging environment for a female leader.

Emotions vs. Distance

Tony Schwartz, a Harvard Business Review Blog Network writer, describes what women know about leadership than men don’t, arguing that “an effective modern leader requires a blend of intellectual qualities—the ability to think analytically, strategically and creatively—and emotional ones, including self-awareness, empathy and humility. There are more women with this blend of qualities than men”.

Female CEOs are often seen as having to be emotionally engaging to create lasting relationships and establish themselves as a leader. At the same time female CEOs are advised not to demonstrate emotions so they are not perceived as too emotional to make a logical decision based on facts, not emotions.

Perception vs. Reality

There are a number of stigmas associated with women in business. Have you ever heard a man comparing another man’s ability to perform using the phrase “like a girl”? A statement which is normally translated as “not good enough”. Such negative stereotypes about women in business mean female CEOs to constantly feel like they need to prove they are not doing business “like a girl”. Many successful women in business admit that they feel pressured to worked harder than man just to be taken seriously.

The reality is that women shouldn’t need to impress anyone to be recognised as inspirational and respected for the great things they have achieved. According to Forbes some of the most influential people in the business world in the last decade are women.

Family vs. Career

This is perhaps the most discussed debate when it comes to women in senior positions: can women have it all?

Indra Nooyi, the CEO of PepsiCo reported that women simply cannot have it all. It seems like Facebook and Apply agree. These brands offer their female employees a health benefits cover which includes egg-freezing treatments.

Why are omen still perceived as unable to cope with growing their career while raising a family? It is still socially unacceptable for a woman not to want children so she can advance her career. However, it is perfectly fine for a male professional to want the same. If a professional woman spends too much time away from her family she is perceived as a bad mother or a selfish spouse. In the same scenario men are labelled as providers and not bad dads.

These are some of the double standards that many women in business face every day. Being a successful business woman is not about having it all. It is about being content with yourself every day. Often female leaders are too focused on “having it all” while forgetting to define what “having it all” represents for them personally. I believe that female leaders can have anything they want if they focus on themselves, not the pressures and stereotypes which still exist in our society. If there is no enemy within, the enemy outside can do us no harm.