Women in the boardroom ‘set up to fail’
A large number of business leaders will only appoint a woman into a very senior post in times of crisis and poor performance, according to a new report. Women face a “hidden form of discrimination”, which sees them more readily appointed to tough jobs where they are more likely to fail, according to Women in the boardroom: the risks of being at the top, produced by Exeter University. Researchers matched large companies’ stock market performance prior to a key appointment, with the gender of the person who was then appointed.
“Female leaders are all too often set up to fail,” said Dianah Worman, a Diversity adviser. “Due to limited opportunities open to female leaders, many are forced to take the more difficult jobs in organisations with a history of poor performance, perpetuating the myth that women are poor performers in senior positions.”
But, Worman says, there is some good news for female executives. “The growth in the number of successful small businesses owned by women goes someway to indicate their business and leadership capabilities and highlights the talent other large organisations are missing,” she said. “Old-fashioned attitudes are not only unfair and discriminatory towards women but they leave organisations shooting themselves in the foot.”
