Leadership Gender Gap Stats
Startling Leadership Gender Gap Statistics
Mary Barra, Meg Whitman, Virginia Rometty, Indra Nooyi, Marillyn Hewson, and Safra Catz. What do these women have in common? They are among 26 female CEOs running S&P 500 companies that have crossed the leadership gender gap. These numbers fluctuate from year to year with an average of 25 or 5%. If you do the math, it means that there are 474 male CEOs running the remaining 500 companies, and from that perspective, women are not doing so well.
Women now represent 57% of the labor force in the U.S. and occupy over half of all management and professional occupations. In addition, women now account for 60% of bachelor degree graduates in the U.S. and Europe. Despite these large numbers, women hold only 21% of board seats in the S&P 500, and the number of women at the helm is a paltry 5.2%.
Here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The good – women are educated, have extensive work experience, contribute to the performance of their companies, and a few have reached senior leadership positions.
The bad – the number of female CEOs has barely budged in 30 years and progress continues to be slow.
The ugly – men outpace women in leadership roles across every sector in the world—corporate, not-for-profit, government, education, medicine, military, and religion.
These statistics are indeed startling, and compelled me to research and write about the topic in my doctoral dissertation and book titled, “The Power of Perception: Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, and the Gender Divide”.
I examined leadership styles and emotional intelligence from a gendered perspective, researched the barriers that keep women from advancing to senior leadership, and explored hard-wired and socialized gender differences. I also evaluated emerging factors that are transforming the workplace, such as global demographic changes, diversity and inclusion, and our newest generations.
The leadership gender gap is not just an equality issue. It is a global talent management issue. In our fast-paced and increasingly diverse world, the organizations that can effectively leverage their talent will have a competitive advantage.
