Female Leadership Has Begun To Redefine in a Positive Way

There are more and more roles played by women at work and business level, demonstrating their ability to lead teams and carry out assigned tasks successfully.

From presidencies, managers, or management roles traditionally dominated by men in the past, those positions are taken by women today. The stereotyped roles in which men and women had their field of action very well defined are being left behind, creating a great barrier for the latter at work, individual, social, and leadership levels.

In developed societies, it is unimaginable not to find female representation in fields such as politics, entrepreneurship, or at a social level. It is not about the so-called "maternal instinct," "weaker sex," or glass ceiling*, with which women have been defined and classified because when it comes to giving orders and executing tasks, they lead groups efficiently without losing control.

Communication and authority are qualities highly appreciated by organizations. The gender disparity was also reflected in the salary aspect. Currently, that gap is being aligned. Some of the characteristics that HR highlights at the female level are their high quality of communication, sociability, and high level of empathy. Women also have a remarkable ability to work in a group, cooperate and maximize the individual potential of each one, thanks to the fact that they involve not only the professional side but also the human part of the people under their command.

It also highlights their ability to manage different fronts simultaneously, such as facing crises, making decisions, and being flexible. This allows them to make changes when necessary to adjust to the demands. By the end of the 1990s, only 2.6% of CEO positions were held by women, equivalent to 4% on European Union boards, according to data reported by Fortune 500 magazine.

In 2016 this percentage varied to 25% of senior executives but represented only 4% in company management. This reflects that even though the number of women leaders is increasing due to deeply rooted social behaviors, the myth continues to prevail that men have greater leadership capacity in some sectors. According to the World Economic Forum, in the medium term, two out of three people who graduate from university or master's degrees will be women.

According to a study by George Washington University, Western European countries require established female participation in corporate management. The percentage of representation varies from country to country, so we find Iceland at 48%, Norway at 37%, and France at 30%, respectively.

Likewise, many companies that specialize in surveys (which determine the requirements when hiring personnel) state that female leadership brings benefits to organizations, such as in the case of Peakon. In 2019, a study carried out in 42 countries was published, where 60,000 employees and 3,000 managers were surveyed to determine the concept and leadership capacity among companies managed by female personnel compared to those that men directed. The results quantified the assessment on a scale ranging from 0.2 to 0.8.

Also read: WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

From these results, it can be deduced that employees whose companies are directed by women trust more in the general objectives and strategies than those where the leaders are men. They also consider that communication flows better.

Even more critical data is that the degree of trust is much higher, so the service or product they offer is promoted by the employees, as they completely trust the company and its leaders. Currently, the global workforce is represented by women at 50%, according to a study by the McKinsey Institute. Some countries like Spain are committed to policies that promote gender parity, the so-called Ministry of Equality, from where they try to create labor welfare, salary parity, and zero tolerance for any type of aggression or discrimination.

*The "glass ceiling" defines the use of limitations that diminish or skew the possibilities of women at the labor, professional, salary, and growth levels.