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Factors Influencing Women Managers’ Success

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Factors Influencing Women Managers’ Success

Unlike in the past, women today continue to take managerial positions in various

corporations at a higher rate. However, fewer women advance to senior managerial ranks, which

is a sharp contrast to the number of men in top management positions in most fortune-500

companies. In the United States, women hold about 37% of all managerial positions, but only 3%

percent of them serve in top management posts (Kossek, Rong & Lusi, 2016). This situation,

which is influenced by certain underlying factors, negatively impacts the prospects of women

managers. The factors that influence the success of women managers include traditional gender

roles, individual attitudes, and organizational culture.

Society’s portrayal of traditional gender roles is the most prominent factor that influences

the success of women managers. Most communities consider women to be inferior to men and

the media exacerbates the situation by constantly associating the male gender with leadership

(Peus & Traut-Mattausch, 2008). As a result, society often views men as leaders, and the

stereotype is replicated in the workplace. Some corporates, therefore, believe that women cannot

perform better than their male counterparts in matters to do with leadership. Women managers

are, consequently, left to battle with the pretentious inferences that their male colleagues direct

towards them. With the escalation of negative societal allusions, more women find it difficult to

climb the corporate management ladder.

Individual attitudes also contribute to women managers’ success in the corporate

environment. Women’s attitudes towards themselves are the second most influential barrier to

career advancement (Kossek et al., 2016). For instance, many women lack both the will and

confidence to work hard and advance in the corporate management hierarchy. Instead of facing a

glass ceiling, many women tend to confine themselves into a glass cage (Kossek et al., 2016).
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For this reason, many women in managerial positions obstruct their path to leadership by

questioning their abilities. Also, personal commitments may affect a woman’s career

development as many opt to prioritize family over career. Thus, women’s attitudes can influence

their career goals.

Lastly, many women managers operate under hostile organizational cultures that hinder

career progression. Many corporates have an uncongenial working atmosphere for women in

various ways. For example, male managers often receive better remuneration than their female

counterparts despite both possessing the same skills or qualifications (Stamarski & Leanne,

2015). This phenomenon lowers the morale of women managers and negatively affects their zeal

to pursue upper management positions. Moreover, some corporates are defined by distinct

networks such as the popular “old boys” clubs, which impede women manager’s success and rise

to leadership positions. A gender-inclusive organizational culture is, therefore, critical to the

success of women managers and their career development.

The success of women managers depends on factors such as traditional gender roles,

individual attitudes, and organizational culture. Women managers often face negative societal

gender stereotypes that discourage them from advancing in their careers. Also, individual

attitudes among women cause them to lack the will and confidence to pursue top management

positions. Furthermore, some women managers operate under biased organizational cultures that

offer little incentive for their career development. Apart from encouraging women to cultivate

positive attitudes at the workplace, corporations and the society at large should embrace practices

and policies that aim to bridge the gender gap so that more female managers can rise to senior

management positions.
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References

Kossek, E., Rong, S., & Lusi, W. (2016). “Opting out” or “pushed out”? Integrating perspectives

on women’s career equality for gender inclusion and interventions. Journal of

Management, 20, pp. 1–27.

Peus, C., & Traut-Mattausch, E. (2008). Factors influencing women managers' success. In C.

Wankel 21st century management: A reference handbook (Vol. 2, pp. I-157-I-166).

SAGE Publications, Inc., https://www.doi.org/10.4135/9781412954006.n16

Stamarski, C. S., & Leanne, S.S. (2015). Gender inequalities in the workplace: The effects of

organizational structures, processes, practices, and decision makers’ sexism. Frontiers in

Psychology, 6, p. 1400.