Study Reveals Women Believe They Can Be Better Leaders But Lack Confidence. What Does It Mean?

Do women lack confidence? Does the regular sexism and oppression suck out women’s belief in themselves? It is certainly possible because it is not easy to not budge from your beliefs when people around you are criticising you. But research shows the opposite. Women are confident in their careers but they lack opportunities to exhibit it.

According to a study, there is a confidence gap between men and women. Let us first understand what is confidence gap. Confidence is the difference in confidence between men and women. Usually, it is women who have lower confidence. But according to the study, women are rich with confidence and self-belief.

The study shows that 64 per cent of women believe that they can perform their manager’s or boss’ work better than them. While only 47 per cent of men believe the same.

Women want to be in leadership roles as they are confident about performing better. However, due to lack of opportunities provided to women and the gender pay gap pushes women down. Women feel undervalued and overlooked when it comes to offering leadership roles.

Another thing that is frustrating for working women is the opportunity gap. Women believe that they don’t get equal opportunities and salaries in the workplace. But men don’t. 77 per cent of men believe that everyone is paid equally and 66 per cent believe that everyone gets equal opportunities.

Why are men so ignorant about the oppression of women in the workplace? Why do they behave as if women are equally treated when they are considered lower than male employees? Have men normalised sexism at work?

There is also a promotion gap between men and women which is forcing women to quit jobs in large numbers.

But the argument here is that if women are confident, no matter if they are proficient or not, why aren’t they being provided with a chance? Why are men still preferred for leadership roles if they lack confidence?

It is not easy for any woman to be confident about their work. Amidst all the sexism at home and in the workplace, women usually lose the courage to fight it out.

Moreover, not many families in India allow women to work. According to a report, the female labour participation rate is skewing because most of the women are at home working as housemaker. According to a report, 73 per cent of Indian women leave their jobs post-pregnancy. And as per another research, only 32 per cent of married Indian women are employed.

So it is just not fair to snatch opportunities from women when they are efficient and confident about it. The very fact that male employees are selected over female employees for leadership despite the fact that they are not confident about it shows deep-rooted sexism. Companies assume that no matter how proficient a woman is, she is likely to fail because of her gender, family and domestic responsibilities.

Women, today, refuse to stay confined within homes, they are strong and determined to build on their careers. Their duty is not just restricted to the kitchen. They are stepping out with dreams to make their position intact in the professional world. They are dreaming to be leaders, to be breadwinners and nationally recognised. Rather than stopping them, encourage women to pursue their dreams. Women are now the overflowing tap which will spill no matter how much you cap it.

Views expressed are the author's own.  

Suggested Reading: Female Labour Force Participation Shrunk By 19.6 Million In India: World Bank Report