Gender diversity has strongly progressed in businesses over the past few years. Yet, strong disparities remain in management positions. Whilst the willingness is clearly displayed, and even when sincere, female candidates to fill the required profile are still missing. How can you break this persisting glass ceiling?

One of the action tracks proposed in this study is cultural. Women are more numerous than men to suffer from the “impostor syndrome”, this propension to under-evaluate one’s competences despite success. This is how they often wait until they tick all the criteria requested to become candidates to a position, whereas men consider it normal to master some competences whilst needing to develop others. Furthermore, “women tend to evaluate themselves one to two levels below an equivalent position,” Laurence Batlle, President of Foncia ADB, underlines.

Sensitizing men and women to the need of correcting the perception that women have of their own competences and aptitudes is thus indispensable to restore a balance. The women will also gain by being accompanied by a colleague playing the role of sparring partner, by a mentor or a coach to help them seize the opportunities that emerge, and thus accelerate their professional track.

Source: Trajectoires de carrière au féminin - Qu’est-ce qui éloigne encore les femmes des postes de direction en entreprise en 2022 ? [Women’s professional tracks—What still keeps women away from business management positions in 2022?], Grandes Écoles au Féminin/Roland Berger, November 2022.