Emotional intelligence and personality traits of female and male leaders are the same but perceived differently, which can hold back the very women businesses are seeking as leaders, suggests research by people assessment specialists, Thomas International.
Despite widespread stereotypes, female leaders are no more empathetic than male leaders, and male leaders are no more assertive and composed than female leaders, finds the study.
The research assessed personality traits and emotional intelligence of 137 director-level, female leaders in organisations of 100+ employees. It benchmarked them against a demographically, hierarchically and industry matched male senior leadership sample. Against every measure, including approach to risk, competitiveness, conscientiousness, assertiveness, emotion management, relationships and optimism, there is no difference between successful male and female leaders, finds Women in Business, published at the end of September.
The researchers also examined how these traits are perceived and found a key difference. On the way up the ladder, personality and emotional traits in leaders perceived positively in men, are often interpreted as a fault in women.
Jayson Darby, Thomas International’s head of psychology, said: “Our research has shown women are as likely as men to have the traits of a good business leader, but women face additional hurdles to their success; the very traits that are proven predictors of leadership potential are judged negatively when shown by women. There is an inherent bias in the way people describe female success, and it’s holding women back.”
The research also shows there are career advantages that benefit men much more than women. For men, age and education predicted 25% of why a man was in a senior role, while in women these career boosts don’t work so well – age and education are 150% more likely to predict why a man is a senior leader compared to a woman.
Darby said, “The old boys’ club is still an influencing factor, with women benefiting far less from age and education-related privilege…. The end result will be lots of average men getting ahead of more talented women.”