Women are still being badly overlooked in hiring

Here’s a comprehensive plan for how to fix that once and for all.

[Photo: Paperkites/Getty Images]

BY Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic and Shannon Knott

Despite decades of scientific research, incredible advances in deep analytics and AI, and no shortage of good intentions, many organizations still struggle to select and develop the leaders they need to navigate increasingly complex and unpredictable business challenges. Markets are volatile, uncertainty is constant, and leadership quality matters more than ever. Yet many firms still fail to identify and elevate the best (or at least right) leadership talent available.

Contrary to what many people think, more often than not, the problem is not a shortage of capable leaders. Rather, it is a failure of the systems designed to identify, develop, and advance them, which simultaneously results in selecting and investing in the wrong candidates, with tragic consequences for organizations.

Consider a glaring example: women. For several years now, women have represented more than half of the workforce in most advanced economies. They also outperform men in higher education across the OECD, earning the majority of university and postgraduate degrees. In many countries, women also achieve higher average grades and completion rates.

Get more insights from Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic

Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic is a professor of organizational psychology at UCL and Columbia University, and the co-founder of DeeperSignals. He has authored 15 books and over 250 scientific articles on the psychology of talent, leadership, AI, and entrepreneurship. 

Research further shows that women tend, on average, to score higher on several of the leadership capabilities organizations claim to value most. These include emotional intelligence, self-awareness, collaboration, and integrity, and they have proven links to stronger leadership performance. Women are also less likely to display certain “dark side” personality traits such as narcissism, impulsivity, and excessive risk-taking, characteristics that are frequently associated with destructive leadership.

And yet, paradoxically, as careers progress, the leadership pipeline narrows dramatically in favor of men. Across most industries and regions, women remain significantly underrepresented in executive roles, board positions, and CEO seats. The economic implications are considerable. Various estimates suggest that narrowing gender gaps in leadership participation could add trillions of dollars to global GDP. Even for those who approach the issue purely from a commercial perspective, the cost of underutilized leadership talent is difficult to ignore.

One obvious way to address this paradox is to align leadership selection and development with science-based approaches, using data and evidence to select on leadership potential and develop the right leadership qualities so that performance actually increases and leadership talent improves.

If organizations adopted more rigorous, evidence-based approaches to identifying and developing leadership talent, two outcomes would likely follow simultaneously. The overall quality of leadership would improve, and the proportion of women in senior roles would rise. In other words, better systems would produce both stronger leaders and more balanced gender outcomes.

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