While organisations have made progress on gender diversity, Center for Creative Leadership’s (CCL) recent Elevate the System report found a troubling reality: hidden biases and societal pressures persist, creating an uneven playing field for women in leadership. Women continue to be under-represented at top levels across the private and public sector. According to Fortune, in 2024, women represent only 10.4% of Fortune 500 CEOs, maintaining the same percentage as in 2023. There is also more definitive evidence that the barrier to progress is not due to a lack of ambition to get to the top. This not only limits women’s potential but also hinders organisational success. There’s a moral imperative to address this, but it’s also a strategic necessity.
The Onion Peel Approach to Solving the Equity Dilemma
The truth is not enough attention is being paid to the three fundamental layers of gender inequity: safety, pay and development. Similar to the layers of an onion, the top layers must be peeled in order to reveal what may not be visible on the surface. The Elevate the System report reveals that while 68% of leaders believe in equal development opportunities, a deeper examination uncovered disparities. A significant 55% acknowledge the existence of a gender pay gap and 42% recognise gender-related harassment. There is an urgent need for organisations to address each layer to close the gender equity gap and level the playing field for women leaders.
An Uneven Playing Field for Women Leaders
Societal expectations of gender roles continue to hinder women’s leadership journeys. According to CCL’s report, a significantly higher percentage of women (78%), compared to men (66%), highlighted the expectation for women to take on more family responsibilities as the biggest challenge to career progression. In Singapore, while 80% of women see societal expectations as a barrier, only 35% of men share this view, highlighting a significant difference in perspective between men and women and how deeply rooted traditional notions of gender roles are in Asian society.
Women leaders also face the complexity of a “Double Bind”, where they are expected to be caring, compassionate, sensitive, careful, and to follow the rules. Yet when they do that, they are seen as soft, confirming, lacking strength and strategic thinking. When women do exhibit leadership strengths such as being assertive and decisive, they are often labeled negatively. As such, they are either seen as not good leaders or not good women. Along with the “Double Bind”, women tend to “Double-Flex”, where they overcompensate to prove themselves, take on more roles than men and end up stretched across too many things, increasing the risk of burn out, physical and mental health issues, and opting out or dropping out. Overall, women are more weighed down by surrounding constraints, feeling that there are limited or no choice in situations.
Women Leaders Need to Ask for More
Challenging job assignments such as overseas postings tend to be key experiences that propel careers forward, and yet women are more reluctant to take them up. According to the 70-20-10 rule, a holistic and effective approach to development based on CCL’s Lessons of Experience research, leaders learn and grow from 3 types of experience, following a ratio of:
- 70% challenging experiences and assignments
- 20% developmental relationships
- 10% coursework and training
This disconnect creates a significant gender gap in offered opportunities such as leadership development training, promotions, opportunities to travel, overseas assignments, and paid educational coursework. Based on CCL’s Global Asian Leader 2.0 research, overseas exposure remains 1 of the top 3 success factors for promotion into regional and global roles. Women leaders’ reluctance to accept opportunities involving travel and overseas assignments is closely linked to family considerations related to schooling and spouse or partner’s career. These factors can also be barriers for men leaders however, the negative impact is more pronounced for women. We need more targeted interventions for women leaders to step into such assignments.
Women should not change who they are
Too much emphasis on women needing to change their approach to success overlooks the systemic barriers that holds them back. The unequal burden of unpaid caretaking, exacerbated during the pandemic, creates significant work-home tension hindering their career progress. Even with genuine efforts to avoid reverse discrimination, true progress requires significant systemic changes. This includes rectifying persistent inequities in promotions training opportunities, and overseas assignments, that currently favour men. Given the interconnected nature of men’s and women’s roles, a unified approach is essential to achieve meaningful change.
Here’s how organisations can create a level playing field:
- Measure women’s representation holistically: Go beyond quotas and consider broader participation metrics.
- Build male allies: Raise awareness among male ally of the women leaders’ challenges and offer support.
- Elevate champions: Recognise those who promote women leaders in high-impact forums.
- Invest in leadership development: Include structured sponsorship in the programs to address the fact that women are over-mentored and under-sponsored.
By taking these steps, organisations can create a system that empowers and supports women leaders, unlocking their full potential and the benefits of a truly diverse leadership team. Adopting a true partnership model, both at work and at home can empower women to define their roles according to their strengths and aspirations, leading not only to increased performance but also boosting organizational and societal well-being.
About the author
Elisa Mallis is the Global Vice President of Research, Innovation & New Content Creation at Center for Creative Leadership (CCL). In her role, she directs CCL’s coordinated global research, innovation, and new content creation efforts and leads their innovation ecosystem. She oversees both of CCL’s Leadership Research & Analytics Team and Partnerships & Innovation Team, fostering a culture of mission-focused innovation, experimentation, and dissemination of research. Elisa has over 20 years of experience as a business leader with a focus on transformational change, human capital strategy, and sales and marketing — many of those years based in Asia.
