WHEN ARE WOMEN CALLED FOR LEADING POSITIONS?

9.11.2019

Ukraine is a country that is just beginning to live in a system of gender equality. Many vacancies still contain suggestions regarding the gender of candidates. Even in a recruiting agency or in HR, there are more girls and only in conditionally more difficult directions are there guys. Or vice versa, in areas where male specialists predominate, they will be hunted by female recruiters. In a word, intentionally or accidentally, but in the post-CIS space, gender roles still exist.

But what about women in leadership positions?

A recent study by the University of Utah showed that women are most often appointed as department managers or department directors in companies that are particularly complex time. For example, at the time of a financial crisis or merger. Data based on a 15 year study of Fortune 500 businesses.

Why is that? According to our observations, men who focus on their careers are more likely to take risks. They are less likely to take on controversial projects, while many girls see in them continuous opportunities. Especially when it comes to “hard-to-climb” areas and work outside the marketing / HR / accounting department. Catch the well-known example of such a situation – the story of Margaret Thatcher.

Leaders are considered more empathetic, which helps the team easier to survive difficult times. On the other hand, women pay more attention to indirect tasks: caring for the environment or charity, which can be an important factor in choosing a job for generation Z.

Another reason is gender balance when entering international markets. If the company plans to work b2b with the United States, then for sure future partners or customers will be more disposed to a team led by a woman. Of course, this does not mean that the product has no future with a male director, but a purely masculine team may raise questions.

In other words, if you have problems or are in doubt, call a woman. However, one cannot but rejoice at the observation that Ukrainian companies are increasingly hiring employees based on their competencies, rather than gender.