Women in top leadership who have broken through that glass ceiling are great - but even if they’re inspirational role models for some, looking just at their example kind of misses the point, says economist Dr. Ingrid Hägele.
The same goes for quotas that promote gender equality at board level: it’s a good start, but it doesn’t drive change the whole way down.
She says that her research has shown that what matters more, is creating workplace environments that allow everyone to consider vertical career-moves, even those of us (= parents!) who need more flexible working models.
“Women don’t apply as much for promotions - not because women are not interested, but because how these jobs are designed is less attractive to them,” she explains in this podcast.
She likens it to being a vegetarian in a restaurant that only serves meat. "I will order a table salad, because they only have meat dishes. Women don’t apply, and you think they don’t have an appetite to be a leader - but maybe they’re just not interested in the combination that’s offered on the menu."
Her advice if you’re hesitating over a career move that might not be the perfect fit? Go for it! And if you’re a company, actively encourage & support women to apply for different roles - once they step into those roles they often find that they love leading a team - and that they’re really good at it! ❤️
Listen to the full podcast here:
Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eD99rz2G
Youtube: https://youtu.be/2iqV4hT3yKM
and let us what you think we need to do to get more women to apply for those leadership jobs 💪
Speaker: Dr. Ingrid Hägele, Economist, Visiting Scholar @MIT, Assistant Professor @LMU Munich
Interviewer: Dr. Ricarda Engelmeier - Founder @MyCollective
Music: sponsored by @Michaelkadelbach
Picture: Ingrid Hägele
Graphic & Production: MyCollective