The need for female leaders has never been more critical, why is women leadership so important?

The need to promote women’s leadership roles is now more crucial than ever. Employing women in leadership roles creates an enabling environment for other women workers, encouraging them to step up against all odds and showcase their true talents. But despite several measures by industry leaders, along with government organizations, the state of representation of women in such positions is quite upsetting. According to reports, women make up only 4 percent of the CEOs in the world’s top 500 companies, and the numbers decline even further if we look at government organizations. The absence of gender equality in business, or in the corporate sector on a broader scale, not only hampers organisational progress on a smaller scale but also obstructs industrial progress. Businesses need the best leaders, irrespective of gender, to help the organization move forward. The diversity in ideas can lead to the production of avant-garde innovations, powered by enhanced inclusivity and creativity. Statistical surveys have revealed that women have not reached their full potential in leadership roles. 

Breaking out of the corporate stereotypical viewpoints might seem like a highly complex and potentially unachievable problem. But after decades of hard work and progress, many women have delivered cutting-edge innovations and have established themselves as role models for other women. But what is going on with the industry? Why aren’t women delivering the best of their potential in these modern industries despite, reportedly the fact that most companies do not care about gender disparities? Nowadays, most of us care about the gender mix for reasons of equity and fairness, but when there are similar financial business reasons to care about, then why should one gender be advantaged over the others? Well, there might be thousands of reasons that can be cited to justify why women leaders should be encouraged; but to encourage them, executives need to know the right ways to empower them. Here are some tips to encourage women’s leadership in organizations and support their female subordinates. 

Tips to Empower Women Leadership

Firstly, for the company to ensure that its business flourishes and diversifies on its own, the top executives need to take time to develop female talent. Professional development and bridging the gap in the pipeline toward senior leadership starts with unbiased hiring, onboarding, and training practices. Whenever a woman enters the workforce, the senior managers and executives must take the employee through a well-orchestrated system of ongoing training, community engagement, and mentorship, and realize the various scopes to help her develop her skills. But while unbiased hiring, onboarding, training, and development might seem like an immensely crucial task, it is even more important to retain women workers in the organization. The organization should understand the already existing responsibilities that a woman has, and carefully articulate the new set of responsibilities on a professional level. Sometimes, between the shockingly high costs of childcare, and the unlimited duties of household chores, it becomes almost impossible for women to continue working towards career growth. It is when the company should nurture these women and provide structured programs to personally guide these women towards the roles at the top of their organizations. 

The post-pandemic era has been especially difficult for women employees working from home. Hence, the companies need to be more supportive of flexible working structures for enhanced results. 

Organizations become stronger when their leadership roles portray diverse perspectives and experiences. Leadership positions should not be filled solely based on gender discrimination. Every other organization should look at the challenges that women often face in the workplace, try and eradicate them, and also empower the women workers to augment their ways according to these challenges and deliver at their best potential.