RESEARCH CARLA CLARISSA & MOTIVACTION
Carla Clarissa, women’s leadership coach, author of the book “Born to change the game” and expert on the topic of leaking leadership pipeline, sought to partner with Motivaction for this research with the goal of gaining more insight into women’s perceptions of diversity & inclusiveness initiatives within organizations.
1021 working Dutch working women participated in this.
The study was conducted and completed in September 2022.
Our organizations are increasingly challenged to be more conscious of people, climate and technology. The pressure on our ecosystems is enormous. And the number of crises in the world is increasing. The world needs leaders who see connections in a system and lead from an understanding of what sustainability, social connectedness and well-being mean.
Every organization will have to take responsibility for this in the coming years and find new ways in its business models and business processes. A cultural shift is already taking place in many companies: from a hierarchical top-down organization to a network organization.
This requires leaders who can give form and substance to this. For people who have the ability to create networks, who face the world with curious openness, listen to and empathize with all stakeholders involved, are flexible and take responsibility for their role in the organization. Previous major studies by McKinsey & Company and others showed that key leadership competencies in this, such as intellectual stimulation, inspiration, participatory decision-making, people development and providing a role model, are more often applied by women. Women, especially in leadership positions, can play a vital role in the culture change that organizations now need.
Of the total workforce, 34% are women. Over 68% work part-time (CBS). And according to an Equileap report on gender equality in the corporate sector worldwide (2022), Dutch companies have only 16% women in their leadership layer and 23% in senior management. The untapped potential is huge. As many women as men enter our labor market, but do not advance equally with their male colleagues. They experience little incentive from their employer to realize their ambitions and develop their full potential.
From Carla Clarissa’s hundreds of conversations with women about their work experiences, we see the same pattern underlying this: women experience sexism, harassment and discrimination in our organizations. And it takes an incredible amount of their strength to confront this. Let alone to change it within their sphere of influence. The experiences of women in leadership positions, a position where you could change the culture, are only worse. The power dynamics between men and women are increasing, and women experience sexism and (sexually) intimidating behavior even more than before.
This report offers insight into the barriers women face in the workplace, the scale at which this still happens, and what organizations have to do to retain and utilize female talent.
do not feel the support to take the next step in her career. While a large group of women (28%) aspire to and see a leadership position within the organization.
consider throwing in the towel when working for organizations where male managers are in the majority. In organizations where there are more women in management, the percentage is 18%
indicates they would want to work longer for their organization if they felt more at home there. In organizations with D&I policies aimed at women, the figure is 28%.
“Women in my organization are encouraged to take on leadership roles.”
One of the important topics of the study is to what extent women feel encouraged in their development and advancement within the organization. It shows that six in 10 women do not feel the support to take the next step in their career.
While a large group of women, 28%, aspire to and see a leadership position fit within their organization. Companies with more men than women at the top also seem to perpetuate this situation.
One-third of women within those companies report that women are not encouraged to hold leadership positions. This is in contrast to organizations with more women at the top, where over 50% do feel this incentive.
“I don’t see any example of a radiant, gentle woman in a leadership role around me. I am now on the list to be promoted to the highest leadership position, but there I feel all alone. I am the only female and feel no connection with the only other woman at the top of this company, which in my eyes is hardened and soured. I don’t want to become like that, but I also feel that I am losing my sparkle in this place.”
– Finance Director
Even though most people don’t think they distinguish between male and female, they do. It is ingrained in the way we have arranged our society for generations.
The current generation of working women is among one of the first to have started studying and building professional careers. For the past several thousand years, practically all leadership positions in our society have been filled by men. Everywhere. In business, academia, religious institutions, healthcare institutions, hospitality, the sports world.
Because men held leadership positions virtually everywhere, they determined how a company was run, what research money was spent on, how education was designed, how we treated the earth and its resources, what our retirement money was invested in, and what technologies, products and services entered the marketplace. We live in a world largely designed for and by men. Today, this still determines who we consider fit to hold influential positions within an organization and from which values are governed.
Would you also like to do this survey within your organization; and in doing so, go for a more diverse and inclusive company with better results? We are ready for you!
Carla Clarissa and Motivaction help with this. Request a no-obligation quote at carla@carlaclarissa.com or 020 220 1715.
“In my organization, men become executives faster than women.”
In companies with more men at the top, 42% of women report that men become executives faster than women.
“What I already knew from experience, but what we have never before seen reflected so clearly in a study is how many women put their ambitions on the back burner when their organization consists of mostly male leaders. These women experience fewer advancement opportunities, are not prepared to take the next step in their careers, and see their ambition and potential dissipate. That does something to your motivation, to your self-confidence and to the choices you make in your work and personal life.”
– Carla Clarissa
“I personally experience or see women in my organization thinking about ‘throwing in the towel’ and putting ambitions on the back burner.”
Almost a quarter of Dutch women, 24%, are currently considering throwing in the towel and quitting their jobs. In organizations where more men work at the top, this percentage is even higher; at 35%. Women who are managers are also thinking about throwing in the towel more often (36%) than women who are not managers (20%).
“I know the stories behind these figures better than anyone else: women who are thinking about ‘throwing in the towel’ always look for it initially in themselves. It’s probably just me, the role doesn’t suit me, maybe I don’t have enough ambition. Women only tend to take action when it is too late: burn-out, tired, throwing in the towel. And then they look for support. But this can be done differently, and companies have to take responsibility in this.”
– Carla Clarissa
“If I felt more at home I would:”
This thought of giving up your job or career does not appear to be insurmountable or out of unwillingness. In fact, 24% of women say they would like to work longer for their organizations if they felt more at home in them.
“Who will lift me to the next level? I feel empty and, to my mind, I have stated that a thousand times. The reason I wanted to make a career and reach the top was to make the world a little more beautiful. But I find myself holding back in meetings and then being irritated afterwards about all that wasn’t said and decided.
Yet I don’t open my mouth. I’m in the wrong spiral, want out. I want to feel empowered, less lonely than I feel now. I’m looking for a source to draw from, but I have no idea where to look for it.”
– Energy Sector Manager
“Our corporate culture is more attractive to men than to women.”
Looking at the causes of the large group of women who do not advance and do exit, we also asked respondents about the current cultural conditions within which they work. The study revealed that the corporate culture is often not inclusive enough for women.
Especially where men dominate top management, 30% of respondents found that the corporate culture is significantly more attractive for men to work in than for women.
These corporate cultures also seem to affect promotion opportunities for women. Many women, 10% on average, currently feel they have to adapt if they want to be promoted. Among leading women, this percentage is as high as 18%.
The masculine leadership model is still the prevailing norm to which everyone, including women, must conform.
“Do women have to adapt to get promoted?”
“When the board chair told me during a meeting that all I needed to do for now was to listen to learn from real men how to play this game, and that otherwise he would put me in the corner, I couldn’t ignore it anymore. Every time he bullied me and I decided to ignore it I pushed my own limit of acceptable behavior. So until we got to this point.”
– Director Healthcare Sector
To get a concrete picture of what happens in a corporate culture that makes women feel less at home in it and makes it more difficult to advance their careers, we asked respondents what kind of behavior they encounter at work. This revealed that nearly one-third of women are being spoken to less during meetings, and 38% of women currently experience their word being taken for less. The numbers are even more shocking when we consider issues such as pregnancy and inappropriate behavior.
In fact, women report that pregnancy is less beneficial to their careers in 41% of cases. In organizations with more men at the top, that percentage is 52%. An average of 44% of respondents also experience sexual comments within their company.
“When I returned from maternity leave, I was told upon my return that my position had been eliminated and I would have to do temporary support duties. There would be no room for work at my level. After a few months, however, new positions were created, incorporating my old work, and new people were appointed. When I discussed this, the story remained that there was currently no suitable work for me. This while working below your level is killing your motivation and self-esteem. It is so frustrating how disadvantaged women are treated. So much talent lost this way…. And I too eventually left the organization. “
– Content manager
Women in leadership positions are significantly more likely to report experiencing sexism and harassment.
Previous international research in 2020 has shown that sexual harassment is more common among female executives than among female employees. Women in positions of power and influence are more likely to face unacceptable behavior. Not only from their boss, but also from peers who pressure them, customers, shareholders, and even male co-workers who try to undermine her position. The impact of these daily, dormant power plays on the health, psychological security and self-confidence of women leaders is underestimated by companies.
It perpetuates the gender gap in income, status and voice.
Sexism (prejudice against women due to skewed power relations) is commonplace within our organizations. It manifests itself in advancement opportunities and in the level of salaries. It manifests itself in terms such as excuustruus and witch, meant to discourage women. It manifests itself in endless debates around the women’s quota which continues to prevent real change. It manifests itself in a statement like “Will you keep it short this time?” which suppresses the voice of women in a meeting. It manifests itself in comments like “Can you handle that?”, “Will you keep working full-time?” or “How will you do that with your children?
It even manifests itself in lower financial esteem for typical female professions such as elementary school teacher, nurse and administrative assistant. Sexism manifests itself in hundreds of these subtle signals women receive day in and day out that make them feel inadequate every time, regardless of their education, hours of work or successes achieved.
That Dutch organizations can do more about gender diversity and an inclusive work environment for both men and women is clear. As many as 64% of respondents currently indicate that there is no clear D&I policy or that this is not known.
There is also good news, because when organizations do take D&I initiatives and focus them specifically on encouraging gender diversity within the organization, 55% of all working women experience positive effects. When an organization does address diversity, but sticks to generalities without specifically targeting women, 29% experience a positive effect, significantly less. So diversity policies seem to work positively when they are targeted. The positive effect manifests itself in different forms, shown on the next page.
indicates that specific D&I initiatives lead to better manners with women. At a general policy rate at 29%
shares that executives of women take more initiative to encourage opportunities for and development of women.
of women note that their supervisor encourages equal behavior. Substantially higher than overall policy: 53%.
“Often diversity policy is a nice slogan for image, but in practice it is not reflected. Especially the woman/man appreciation is a problem. I don’t necessarily need to be on a gender-neutral toilet as a woman, but I do want more attention to the power of women, which is now misunderstood.”
– Medical advisor
It also appears that greater appreciation from within the organization leads to higher commitment from women themselves. Especially when the initiatives focus on women.
Women within organizations with D&I policies aimed at women indicate that if they felt more at home within their organization or more valued, they would work more hours (10%), hold a leadership position (20%), dare to go for their ambitions (26%) and work longer for an organization (28%).
In fact, respondents to this study indicate that in many cases a general D&I policy has less impact than the absence of such initiatives. Thus, one could argue that the only route and wise investment for organization to move forward on diversity and inclusiveness is a specific policy.
“With all the crises we have to deal with together and all the talent we need for that, diversity should be a strategic issue in every organization by now. If you manage to retain and advance the women who work for you now, it also makes sense to attract new women.”
– Carla Clarissa
Targeted D&I initiatives also appear to make a big difference in the number of women who feel encouraged to take on leadership roles.
Indeed, this is 62% in organizations with specific policies while it lingers between 29 to 45% in organizations without policies addressing gender diversity.
This is good news because in addition to the effect of specific D&I policies, this research also clearly shows that gender distribution in management has a major impact. A top tier in which at least half are represented by women has a positive effect on women’s experiences and career paths in the organization.
The more women hold official power roles and influence how organizations are shaped, the closer we can get to inclusive organizational cultures.
Promoting gender diversity in your organization is not only a moral issue, but also a practical one: multiple studies show that gender diversity has positive impact on business results. Organizations that actively seek to integrate diverse perspectives, experiences and leadership styles consistently outperform competitors with homogeneous leadership teams. Ten years of research by McKinsey and LeanIn.org provides key statistics that back this up.
For example:
Why is this? Diversity increases creativity and innovation, promotes higher-quality decisions and economic growth because it stimulates deeper information processing and complex thinking. This complex thinking enables diverse groups to respond more effectively to constantly changing contexts and unforeseen challenges.
In fact, research shows that inclusive teams make better business decisions 87% of the time, require only half the time and appointments to do so, and with 60% better results. In today’s world, this is only becoming more important. Diversity and an inclusive corporate culture is not a nice to have but a must have for a successful organization.
Organizations have long known which spearheads deserve attention. Promote as many women as men. Encourage women to hold leadership positions. Straighten out rewards and salaries between men and women in the same position. Tackle discrimination, sexism and harassment. All measures that may seem like open doors, but currently too many women report that organizations are not inclusive enough. The opportunities really are there for the taking, and if you don’t do it now you are indirectly saying enough to your female employees and women will leave your company.
That while many talented women feel the call and responsibility to make balanced decisions, articulate holistic goals, develop sustainable business models and bring meaning to everyone’s work. I know they crave this and I also know their leadership can be game changers for a company.
However, the energy that leading in still mostly male-dominated corporate cultures requires of them takes its toll on many women at some point in their careers. Women working in a masculine-driven leadership model tend to be flexible and possess the talent to adapt to circumstances in order to be successful. They parlay sexism, harassment and discrimination, but it
actually addressing it does not happen. What was a successful adaptation strategy at the start of her career later turns out to lead to a loss of authenticity, self-confidence and an inner compass. The imbalance and huge energy leakage women experience ultimately leads to losing female talent.
Also, the (often unconscious) desire and motivation to balance this unbalanced culture also plays a role. How to integrate the feminine traits of leadership into the masculine-driven corporate culture? In addition to their highly developed masculine leadership style, how can women use their natural feminine leadership talents to create a balanced culture and sustainable business results? Often this is a lonely struggle within them. Fueled by a lack of example women and men within the company. This desire is insufficiently nurtured, which weakens the ambition to fill the female leadership role. The diminishing ambition is often not recognized and acted upon in time by the organization. This phenomenon is also known as the ‘leaking leadership pipeline’: although almost as many highly educated women as men enter the company, ultimately far fewer women than men reach the top.
WE ARE HERE FOR YOU
Carla Clarissa and Motivaction help with this. Request a no-obligation quote at carla@carlaclarissa.com or 020 220 1715.
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