Women have made big strides in terms of being represented on corporate boards, both in terms of numbers and the prestige of their positions. But this prestige — and the greater visibility it brings — isn’t necessarily helping women advance. It might even be an obstacle in the long run.

A recent study examined an aspect of boardrooms that’s having an unexpected impact on women’s leadership. The study surveyed a sample of female and male board members at the 100 largest companies listed on the London Stock Exchange (FTSE-100). The researchers wanted to determine whether the prestige associated with certain organizations actually translates into additional career opportunities for women.

What they found was that while more women are being newly appointed to the boards of leading companies — largely as a result of pressure related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies — men secure more new board seats as a result of their existing board membership.

The study also revealed that the initial advantage women enjoy fades over time and, paradoxically, may decline with additional appointments.

This dynamic reveals an important asymmetry: for men, prestige acts as a career accelerator, while for women it’s less likely to translate into lasting opportunities.

The double-edged sword of visibility

The reseachers offer the following explanations:

Women who obtain board positions are more highly scrutinized by the public, shareholders and the media compared to their male colleagues, which means that even the slightest misstep can be detrimental to them. A 2024 report entitled “Time to Tell a Different Story: Analyzing Societal and Media Representation of CEOs” by the strategy consulting firm Russell Reynolds Associates clearly illustrated this phenomenon.

Women........

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