Source: Phys
Today, fewer than 5 percent of leadership positions of the S&P 500 largest companies are filled by women, a decline from 5.4 percent last year, according to recent data.
Though there has been a push for improving diversity in leadership by considering more women for high positions in companies, there are still many women being forced to leave their positions as CEOs because they face more obstacles by simply being judged more harshly or being given positions in companies that are about to fall apart.
“Women still today are not reaching the top, particularly women of color,” says Lorraine Hariton, whose NGO Catalysts advocates for women in senior positions, as reported by Phys Org.
According to research by Hariton and her team, women are judged more harshly than men in their leadership positions, often deemed “too soft” or “too hard” and never quite right.
Another barrier to filling these positions with more female leaders is that board members are primarily white males, so candidates are being judged “through the lens of a white male.” A few major companies have made efforts to change this by pledging to consider “at least one female candidate when a new job position opens up” under Parity Pledge.
Currently, 80 percent of board seats of S&P 500 companies are filled by men.
Read Full Story: Phys