Have you ever wondered why women – who make up more than half of the population and often have higher levels of education than men – hold only 8% to 15% of management positions? One idea for resolving this issue is to compel companies to appoint more women to leadership positions. However, this seemingly simple solution is not the best choice, as it fails to ensure credibility and respect for the recipients of these promotions.
There are countless advantages to having women in leadership positions. Having a diverse team in leadership positions contributes to the development of more informed and successful decisions. Research by McKinsey showed that at least one woman holding an executive position in a company can result in a 44% higher shareholder return and about 46% higher profits, compared to other businesses.
It is also essential to look at the issue from the standpoint of women and understand the hurdles that keep them away from these positions. A crucial topic in this discussion is the ‘double shift’ worked by many women. When balancing the demands of a career with the responsibilities imposed by motherhood and housekeeping, the quest for professional advancement becomes more complex and challenging. In Brazil, women spend about 21 hours a week on chores, compared to only eleven hours for men, according to a recent survey released by the Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics (IBGE).
And when it comes to motherhood, inequality becomes even more evident. This is not only because women are often the first to give up their jobs in order to raise their children. A closer look shows the practical consequence of this, even when the choice to leave work is not theirs. According to a survey conducted by the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV) in 2016, about half of the women who take maternity leave lose their jobs a year after the is benefit.
So what’s wrong with the solution of encouraging companies to take top-down action by mandating the inclusion of women in leadership positions? The first answer is simple. Adopting a topdown approach creates stigma and undermines women’s competence to hold these positions. If a woman is appointed to the board of a company only because of her gender, skipping the necessary professional steps, her credibility and respect among her peers will be weakened. The effect is exactly the opposite of what is actually wanted.
This opinion is shared by Marta Viegas, from the Brazilian Institute for Corporate Governance, in an interview with Época magazine. According to her: “for a board to work well, it needs seamless alignment among its members. If there is a stigma among them – like ‘she’s here only because of those quota policies’ – the creation of ideas might be misrepresented.” Another executive who shares this view is the Vice President for Legal Affairs and Human Resources at Banco Itaú, Claudia Politanski. She told Exame magazine that “women in these quota positions often have less executive experience than men, and are seen as juniors. And because they are quickly removed from their board seats, there are fewer women CEOs and officers.”
So just what would be the solution to this problem? The first step is to heighten awareness in society. It is crucial to emphasize the importance of gender diversity and the benefits of including women in leadership positions. Furthermore, it is essential to adopt management policies that cover entire careers in companies, not just the leadership phase. This includes implementing inclusive recruitment policies from the selection process onwards. Women often drop out between the ages of 27 and 35, due largely to reasons such as marriage, children, and poor prospects. It is thus essential that companies implement professional development programs aimed at retaining female talents throughout their professional careers.
Another point that warrants attention – particularly on the administrative side – is the need to balance the share-out of labor and the burden of responsibilities between men and women. This is where steps like equitable paternity leave are welcome. In some families, this allows early childcare responsibilities to be split between fathers and mothers, which can provide leverage for women to advance in the workplace. Moreover, ongoing technological developments are paving the way for flexible work options, which can help women balance work and family responsibilities during their mothering years.
More women are needed in leadership positions. But to achieve this goal, we must address the complexity of this challenge, keenly aware that there are no simple solutions to these complex problems. Effective approaches are needed for promoting gender equality in leadership positions. This is the only way to build a future in which women’s voices are properly heard, as they contribute to building the future of society.