Despite the fact that women make up nearly half of the global workforce, only 27% occupy management and leadership roles. At the same time, even fewer reach executive or C-level positions.

The past decade, however, has seen notable progress in women’s representation in corporate leadership. Today, 29% of senior leadership is held by women—a massive jump compared to 17% in 2015.

As for its significance, data clearly supports this fact: when women lead, workplaces improve. Female leaders, for example, strengthen collaboration, foster workplace inclusivity, and drive measurable business results.

While organizations strive to meet modern workforce demands and evolving diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) standards, progress still remains slow. Addressing this leadership gap, meanwhile, requires fair and inclusive policies and leadership development programs.

To give you a better grasp of this issue, we’ll dive into factors that discourage women from leading, then share some strategies you can utilize to empower them.

Barriers that hinder women from reaching leadership roles

While women’s leadership capabilities have been proven, complex challenges still deter their advancement. A clear understanding, however, enables the design of effective interventions.

Internal barriers

Problems that stem from social conditioning, past workplace experiences, or even psychological responses can obstruct women from truly pursuing leadership opportunities.

Imposter syndrome 

Despite their accomplishments and outstanding performance, many women feel undeserving of their success—this impedes their chances of career progression and higher pay. They are, in fact, likelier than men to experience imposter syndrome due to social stereotypes.

This internalized doubt is often fueled by gender expectations and a lack of visible role models. It even pushes women to undervalue their skills and underestimate their readiness for promotion.

Fear of failure

Women often face heightened scrutiny in leadership roles, leading them to believe that failure might not just reflect on them individually, but rather on their gender as a whole.

Since they’re judged more harshly than their male counterparts, the pressure to succeed flawlessly pushes them to shy away from responsibilities that place them in the spotlight.

Tokenism and pressure to conform

In male-dominated workplaces, women are often viewed as representatives of their gender, not as individuals. This tokenism forces them to follow stereotypical roles, and it can be attributed to two variables:

  • Women with leadership aspirations feel a heightened pressure to prove their worth, justify their position, and outperform their male counterparts.
  • At the same time, this results in an added layer of stress and anxiety that impedes their actual performance and ability to lead.

Internalized discrimination

Long-term exposure to gender-based stereotyping leads women to unconsciously adopt limiting beliefs that undermine their leadership potential. This internalized discrimination manifests in detrimental behaviors, including:

  • The hesitation to speak up
  • A reluctance to negotiate
  • The difficulty to assert authority

As a result, their damaged confidence discourages them from taking on more influential roles.

External barriers

In addition to issues that affect women internally, structural and systemic inequities in workplaces significantly obstruct their advancement as well.

Gender bias

Despite increasing awareness of the upsides of female leadership, gender bias remains deeply entrenched in many workplace cultures. This slows women’s career progression and makes it harder for them to reach executive positions.

Research also shows that they’re more critically evaluated than men, even when they produce similar outcomes—an occurrence especially evident in some fields.

In education for instance, women’s accomplishments are undervalued due to systemic sexism. For this reason, they secure smaller research funding, while their research is more susceptible to frequent, scathing reviews.

Lack of sponsors

Mentors share knowledge, while sponsors possess power. Although the former helps build skills, the latter advocates for their protégés’ advancement.

However, according to the Harvard Business Review, women are over-mentored and under-sponsored—particularly due to their mentors being less senior compared to those of men.

Due to the lack of meaningful interactions with upper leadership, women’s visibility to decision-makers and their chances of being included in succession planning are limited.

Less advancement opportunities

Women are less likely to be promoted—as reported by Yale, their chances are 14% lower than men’s.

This can be attributed to the fact that their leadership potential is underestimated, despite having higher performance ratings. Due to this, they’re overlooked when candidates for higher positions are considered, leading to underrepresentation at senior levels.

Unequal pay

Wage inequality remains a major demotivator for women, especially those who aspire to lead. They continue to be paid less than men for similar work, and the lack of transparency around it magnifies the issue.

Societal expectations for caregiving place a massive burden on women as well, making it more difficult for them to take on the demands of more influential roles.

Workplace impact: Why women make outstanding leaders

Most discussions about female leadership focus on equity and representation. However, highlighting their unique capabilities and the advantages they offer are just as critical.

Empathy and emotional intelligence (EI)

Forbes shares research that highlights empathy as the most important leadership skill. Women, meanwhile, are known for their ability to empathize and show emotional intelligence (EI), thanks to their more nurturing and caring natures. 

Since their leaderships styles are conducive to employee well-being, inclusivity, and psychological safety, they cultivate cultures that support:

Good communicators

Communication skills are a core element of effective leadership. Women, meanwhile, excel in this area.

They willingly engage in collaborative problem-solving, ensuring team members’ perspectives are heard and valued—this is also conducive to constructive conflict management.

At the same time, clear communication enables alignment across cross-functional teams, as it bridges silos effectively, even in organizations with complex structures.

Improves diversity and performance

Female leadership advocates for better DEI, as their experiences in navigating biases and gender-related challenges facilitates more inclusive hiring, promotion, and management. Not to mention, gender-diverse teams are seen to perform better as well:

  • Gallup research, for instance, found a retail organization’s business units earning 14% more revenue on average compared to less-diverse ones.
  • A hospitality company’s gender-diverse business units were also seen averaging a 19% higher quarterly net profit.

McKinsey’s study produced more striking results, indicating that having women representing the top can result in nearly 50% higher  profits and share performance.

How to empower more women to step into leadership

Closing the gender gap in leadership requires targeted, systemic, and intentional strategies. These four can compel women to purposefully take on that mantle.

Develop confidence, encourage self-advocacy

Develop coaching initiatives focused on confidence-building, negotiation skills, and leadership identity. Help women recognize and embrace their capabilities—particularly in male-dominated environments.

A foundational step to building female leaders is to help them recognize their own potential. As previously mentioned, a gap in confidence, not competence, often holds women back. To do this:

  • Offer confidence-building workshops: These educate them on self-advocacy, personal branding, and strategic risk-taking.
  • Establish cultures that thrive on feedback: Clear and actionable input facilitates improvement and positive reinforcement.
  • Provide stretch assignments: These challenge women to go beyond their current skill sets and comfort zones, allowing them to expand their leadership potential.

Establish support networks and mentorship programs

According to the National Library of Medicine, access to structured mentorship programs strengthen women’s career satisfaction and leadership aspirations. Not to mention, sponsors can propel their career advancement as well.

By establishing formal mentorship and sponsorship programs focused on cross-gender and cross-departmental initiatives, your organization can develop and champion women for senior positions. Peer support circles and forums can promote shared learning among them as well.

Provide leadership development opportunities

Leadership development programs specifically designed for women are especially meaningful, as these allow them to build the competencies they need to succeed in top management.

Tailoring these initiatives to their experiences, for instance, builds the skills and resilience they need to overcome gender-related obstacles. These would include:

  • Simulations and scenario-based learning that reflect real organizational challenges
  • Modules that address women’s common leadership hurdles, such as negotiation, assertive communication, and executive presence
  • Opportunities for visibility, like presentations to executives or high-profile projects

Advocate for workplace DEI initiatives

While individual development is vital, sustainable change is only achieved when the whole ecosystem mirrors equity and inclusivity. To ensure such a workplace, implement:

    • Anti-discrimination policies: Guidelines against prejudice ensure fairness across all levels, but these must be backed by real consequences and reporting mechanisms.
    • Inclusive hiring practices: Use objective, bias-free evaluation criteria for recruitment and promotion decisions.
  • Pay transparency: Regularly audit your organization’s compensation data to identify and address pay gaps. Openly discussing and publishing salary bands builds trust.

Wrapping up—Systemic and authentic change empowers female leadership

Truly encouraging women to lead isn’t simply a matter of representation; it’s about:

  • Understanding their challenges
  • Recognizing their unique strengths
  • Auditing your leadership pipeline for gaps in female representation
  • Designing measures that provide equal opportunity

These eliminate barriers that hinder women’s leadership aspirations and enable fair cultures that support their growth and confidence.

By developing and harnessing their full potential, you celebrate inclusivity and diverse leadership styles—all while building a stronger organization for everyone.