Many organizations are experiencing the “Great Breakup” as many female leaders face unique challenges in the workplace and are leaving companies to find ones that meet their needs. Women leaders face challenges like stereotypes and unequal treatment as they try to climb the corporate ladder and secure leadership positions in their organizations. For many women, these challenges make it difficult for them to reach their full career potential. 

To attain the leadership roles they deserve, organizations need to support women and their professional goals. This article covers some of the core challenges female leaders face at work, as well as some tips on how your company can create a supportive environment that develops women’s leadership skills and helps them secure management positions.

What Makes Female Leaders Different?

A classic reason for the disparity between male and female leadership in companies is that women lead differently from men. This is partially true. Female leadership tends to focus more heavily on leading with empathy and understanding, collaborating on projects and offering flexibility to team members when needed. However, female leaders also have equal ability to lead with decisiveness, strategic thinking, confidence and financial prowess as male leaders. 

In short, women’s leadership style combines high-level business acumen with creating a healthy work-life balance for their teams. They spend time building relationships with everyone they oversee and are energized by leading initiatives for positive change. This high level of emotional intelligence often makes them the perfect fit for senior leadership roles in an organization.

However, for many women in the workplace, the path to this level of success is lined with hurdles.

Common Challenges Women Face in the Workplace

According to McKinsey & Company’s Women in the Workplace report, women are generally underrepresented in leadership positions, especially minority women. Of those vying for leadership roles, many professional women will face a combination of the following five challenges to success. 

1.) Unequal Treatment

Perhaps the biggest challenge women face in their work environment is an unconscious bias that they aren’t fit for leadership roles. Many women are fighting an uphill battle just to be seen as equal to their male counterparts. Stereotypes and unfair treatment, even if unintentional, makes it difficult for them to gain ground and further their career. 

What’s worse is that not everyone in the room will be able to identify these small slights. A woman might feel she has no support when she’s been discriminated against, which can lead to feelings of imposter syndrome or a lack of confidence to trust her own voice.

2.) Lack of Self-Advocacy

Although ambition is often encouraged in men, it’s more commonly seen as a negative trait in women. This means women are less likely to pursue senior management roles without encouragement from someone else in the office. They’re more likely to wait for opportunities to come to them instead of going out and seizing a chance on their own.

3.) Stereotyping

There’s a pernicious social stereotype that men make better leaders than women. Board members, C-suite executives and even some senior leaders tend to think men look stronger, act more confident and are respected more by other industry leaders. This stereotype has significantly contributed to the gender gap in leadership roles.

This representation of women keeps many of them from rising in the ranks of their organizations. They’re often viewed as the weaker option in corporate America, which means they have to work twice as hard to prove that their leadership style can be just as engaging, empowering and effective as a man’s.

4.) Fewer Mentors

Significantly fewer women rise to high levels of leadership. This lack of representation leads to another problem: a lack of female mentors. Many female leaders have no role models to look up to or learn from. Without someone who’s been in their shoes to show them the way, many female professionals feel lost.

Growing in their leadership abilities is about more than adapting to changing circumstances or honing decision-making skills. Women need other high-performing women to teach them how to overcome obstacles in their careers and reach their full potential.

5.) Not Enough Flexibility

Aside from working full-time, many women take care of someone other than themselves outside of work. Whether it’s a child, family member or parent, there is another person whose well-being they’re responsible for. This means they require some extra flexibility in their schedule to cater to their professional life and the needs of someone else.

However, many leadership roles don’t allow for this type of flexibility. They require people to be all in, nearly all the time. Some women will disqualify themselves from leadership positions for this reason. 

How to Address These Challenges

Any company that wants to grow will need to embrace female leadership. Their leadership styles are well-aligned with the workplace of the future and can offer certain benefits, such as heightened emotional intelligence, that some male leaders lack. 

To help women overcome institutional barriers to success, your organization can do three things:

• Set clear gender diversity targets for your organization. It’s not just about gender equality anymore. Organizations need to have a goal in mind for promoting both female leadership and minority women in the workplace. The more you can empower women, especially women of color, in your company, the easier it will be for them to pursue their career goals.

• Offer more flexibility. More and more women are requesting more flexibility in their jobs. Try to create a culture of well-being in your organization so that women in any role feel they have the agency and latitude needed to create a healthy work-life balance. This could mean extra sick or PTO days, more hybrid work options or flex time. The more your leaders feel fulfilled in all aspects of their life, the better results they can produce for your organization.

• Provide mentorship and coaching opportunities. This doesn’t just mean developing women’s professional skills. It includes training in communication, negotiation, delegation and other high-level competencies that senior leaders need to effectively perform in their roles. Offering webinars, eCourses or even one-on-one training can help to empower your female employees and boost your employee retention overall.

Embracing these three simple actions can be transformational for your organization. With female leaders in the mix, you’ll have a more diverse leadership team capable of tackling problems in unique ways.

Empowering Female Leaders

Despite great strides toward equality, the bottom line is that female leaders still face an uphill battle when pursuing high-level management positions. But your organization doesn’t have to contribute to the struggle. You can support your female employees in their career journey by offering the training and mentorship they need to reach their goals.

Building Champions offers a variety of individual leadership programs that help you develop promising talent in your organization. We have talented female coaches who can help female leaders at all levels practice and hone the skills they need to reach their career goals. 

Enroll your female leaders in one of our coaching engagements to give them the opportunity to work with someone who understands their struggle and will guide them to overcoming these five common challenges.