There is no difference between men and women when it comes to corporate leadership. This is the main finding of the research conducted by Hogan Assessments and published this March. The study aimed to evaluate six myths about women's behavior in management related to the level of ambition, risk appetite, ability to handle stress, strategic vision and innovation
The research was conducted based on the review of three large datasets of over 25,000 global executives, including personality traits, performance ratings and key competencies. The study focused on understanding whether men and women differ in their personality traits, as well as identifying any gender differences in personality traits that predict leadership effectiveness
"It is incredible that even today society" – including the media – reverberate stereotypes of behavior towards women in leadership positions, how to relate anxiety as something typically feminine that hinders decision-making. Recently we heard, inclusive, Mark Zuckerberg [CEO of Meta] says that companies need more 'masculine energy', a phrase that has been replicated to exhaustion all over the world, and that has no scientific basis, explain Roberto Santos, partner-director of Ateliê RH, pioneering consultancy in the use of the Hogan methodology in Brazil
In Brazil, data from IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) indicate that only 39% of women held positions in management roles in 2022– although the female participation rate in the labor market has reached 53,3% in that same year. In 2023, a study by the National Industry Observatory indicated that the number of women in leadership remained the same, even though they have an education level twice that of men
In fact, a similar discrepancy occurs all over the world. A global survey conducted by Grant Thornton International showed that, in 2023, women occupied 33,5% of senior management positions worldwide, although they represent 42% of the global workforce
The myths debunked by research
"In all the analyzed myths", the study proves that there are no personality differences between male and female executives. But unfortunately, women continue to face enormous barriers to advance in their careers – and these results are important because they reinforce the need to abandon outdated beliefs and prejudices that prevent highly qualified women from reaching leadership positions, evaluates Santos
The first myth evaluated was that of female ambition, frequently questioned as inferior to the male. Contrary to what is imagined, the analyses of personality scores showed that male and female executives have similar levels of ambition, without significant differences between the genders. The measurement of ambition was made using the "Ambition" scale, present in the Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI). In practice, the result shows that job performance, in this regard it is the same for men and women
Another point analyzed concerns decision-making and risk propensity, frequently associated with men. Hogan Assessments' research revealed that men and women are equally decisive and prone to taking risks, invalidating the idea that women are more cautious or indecisive
Furthermore, characteristics such as excessive caution that, within the Hogan methodology, it refers to an excessive concern with criticism, as well as being obliging – defined as being anxious to please, and hesitate to act autonomously – are equally harmful to men and women
The widely held belief that women would not be natural leaders has also been challenged. Using scales related to the Five Factor Model (Adjustment, Ambition, Sociability, Interpersonal Sensitivity, Prudence, Inquisitive and Learning Approach, the data indicated that women exhibit the same essential leadership characteristics as men
Another widely spread myth is that women need to adopt traditionally masculine traits to be effective as leaders. The study showed that characteristics considered masculine, as dominance or bluntness, do not confer specific advantages to men; to the contrary, the performance of leaders of both genders is negatively affected by this characteristic
Finally, the study also analyzed the ability of men and women to handle high-stress situations and their competence in innovation and strategy. The results revealed that there are no significant differences between the genders in these skills, showing that both men and women perform similarly in high-pressure contexts and in the face of demands for strategy and innovation
In this way, concludes Santos, organizations must uncover the real internal cultural barriers that limit women's access to executive positions as the most common myths regarding personality differences between genders are scientifically challenged by this and other studies
