Definition: This a pervasive issue where women in leadership are expected to display agency—assertiveness, decisiveness, and ambition—qualities traditionally associated with effective leaders. However, when women exhibit agency, they face backlash for violating the expected social role of communality, which emphasizes warmth, empathy, and supportiveness.

Impact: This creates a no-win situation where women must navigate between being perceived as too aggressive if they are assertive, or too soft if they are communal. This can lead to higher stress levels, reduced career advancement opportunities, and the internalization of negative feedback, which can undermine confidence and job satisfaction.

Glass Ceiling: Invisible barriers prevent women from rising to the highest levels of leadership within organizations, regardless of their qualifications or achievements.

Glass Cliff: When women do break through the glass ceiling, they are often placed in leadership roles during times of crisis, where the likelihood of failure is higher. If the company struggles or fails, women leaders may be blamed, reinforcing negative stereotypes about women’s capabilities.

Hiring: Women, especially those in male-dominated fields, are susceptible to bias during hiring. They may be judged more harshly, and their qualifications scrutinized more intensely than men’s.

Promotion: Unconscious biases tend to favor men for promotion. When women do get promoted, it often takes longer, and they may receive fewer opportunities for growth and development.

Evaluation: Women are often judged on multiple dimensions, whereas men are primarily evaluated on competence alone. This double standard can result in unfair performance evaluations.

Mentorship: While mentorship is critical for career advancement, women often have less access to mentors than men. This lack of mentorship can limit opportunities for growth and learning.

Sponsorship: This involves advocating for someone’s advancement. Women are less likely to have sponsors who champion their promotion or defend them against office politics, making it harder to rise in an organization.

Inflexible Work Policies: Many traditional workplace policies are not designed with the needs of working women, especially mothers, in mind. Lack of flexibility in hours, remote work options, and parental leave disproportionately impacts women, forcing many to make difficult choices between their careers and their families.

Work-Family Conflict:
Women often face significant work-family conflict, where the demands of their job and family life clash, leading to stress and difficult choices. This can limit career advancement opportunities and negatively impact both personal and professional well-being.

Work-Life Balance: Women are often the primary caregivers at home, even when working full-time. The pressure to excel both at work and in caregiving roles can lead to burnout and negatively impact career progression and well-being.

Definition: This refers to the tendency of women to underestimate their abilities (and men to overestimate theirs), often resulting in women not pursuing promotions, raises, or new opportunities as often as men.

Impact: Lack of confidence can be reinforced by societal stereotypes and org cultures that undervalue women’s contributions. This can contribute to the underrepresentation of women in leadership roles and perpetuate the cycle of gender inequality at work.