Breathe
By Zinia Padilla, Organizational Psychologist, Master in Business Administration from EGADE Business School and Master in Positive Leadership from Tecmilenio. She currently serves as Director of Institutional Culture at Tec de Monterrey.
We women find ourselves in a key period for humanity. We have been preceded by women, both visible and invisible, who have made extraordinary contributions to society; some are well known, others less so, but all are precursors of what we are living today. We are the ones who are breaking with the conditioning with which other generations were educated. We have the responsibility to continue redefining the role of women today and in the future.
It is clear, and the data reflect it, that women continue to lag far behind in leadership positions. This appeals not only to a question of equity, but also because we prepare ourselves intensely to occupy them and we strive twice as hard (or more) for our talents to emerge, and for us to be visible and taken into account in the organizations.
The issue is multifactorial. We find phenomena such as the 'glass ceiling', that set of obstacles that prevent us from reaching management positions of greater responsibility, and that no longer seems to be the greatest obstacle faced by women within their workplaces. The 'broken rung' appears , that step that, no matter how much we "stretch our leg", puts us too far away to reach the next level and, therefore, does not allow us to start the ascent towards our professional development in the corporate ladder.
The World Economic Forum states that for every 100 men who are recommended and admitted to management positions, 72 women are promoted and hired at the same level. Under this context, the bias still prevails that they hire more men than women, while they choose to hire more women than men, but as there are more male managers, women continue to be fewer.
Whether or not we get promoted depends a lot on what industry we work in. For example, taking public information shared by the World Economic Forum, the sectors that come closest to gender parity in terms of leadership are non-governmental organizations (47%) and education (46%), while in manufacturing and infrastructure industries the gap widens too much, with 19% and 16%, respectively.
Women's leadership in practice
If you are already on the corporate ladder convinced of your leadership, or if you are already occupying a position of influence and are determined to contribute to reduce gender gaps, let me recognize you and congratulate you for it. Surely you live or have experienced in your own flesh some of what I will discuss and these are aspects that I believe we should keep in mind.
The cultural stereotypes of patriarchy continue to creep into our minds, consciously or unconsciously, so perhaps some coworkers will think that you are not as capable of being a leader as a man, or that your family responsibilities (children, housework, among others) will prevent you from giving yourself enough time to perform your job.
This is where you will have to be compassionate with yourself, balance your level of self-demand, be very assertive in your communication, but, above all, promote a culture where respect, empathy, honesty, equality and tolerance become pillars of your management.
This is exactly what is happening in companies that are open to diversity, equity and inclusion: women in top management positions are encouraging and getting their organization to move towards sustainable growth, higher profitability, where there is a better work environment and sense of belonging, where there are more innovative ideas, the possibility of opening new markets, and where stronger and more inspiring leadership permeates.
All of the above (and more) will happen if, from your leadership, you promote the conditions so that the playing field becomes more and more even, and that other women have equal access to opportunities to develop, grow and flourish.
It is time to generate movement
So we are at the right time (it should always be the right time) for organizations to recognize the immense value of diversity, promote and make women and their talents visible, empathize with their needs, integrate them at the decision-making tables and give value to their voices and contributions.
However, it is also our responsibility to raise our voices to transmit our energy, continue to prepare ourselves, add value and solve problems. We have the task of inspiring and surrounding ourselves with talented women, and very importantly, of weaving support networks to encourage more women to embrace leadership and together we support the elimination of social and structural barriers to growth. Keep in mind that continuing to speak out also entails silencing critics, demanding equal opportunities and fair pay.
Undoubtedly, we find ourselves in a historical moment, where conventionalisms are deconstructed and give way to new processes, new ideas and spaces where women have a much more prominent role.
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of Opinion 51.
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