While attitudes towards women in the workplace have changed a lot over the past few decades, there is still a lack of female leaders in business. Women outnumber men in higher education, making up 55% of undergraduates. They also have a tendency to get higher grades and are less likely to drop out compared to their male classmates. However, just 7.4% of Fortune 500 company leadership positions were held by women as of 2020.
Clearly, women are just as educated if not more so than men, so what is holding them back? In reality, there are a lot of factors and unseen barriers that prevent women from accessing the same opportunities given to men. Although there are far fewer barriers for women to enter the workforce today, there are plenty when it comes to progression. Additionally, when women advance through the ranks, they encounter increased opposition.
Because of the barriers in place and the fact that few women attain leadership roles, it can cause a cycle where women feel like they cannot progress and are less likely to look for advancement. Thankfully, individual attitudes can be addressed with educational courses such as the women’s leadership development online programme.
What You’ll Learn on a Women’s Leadership Development Programme
Women’s leadership courses empower women and give them the tools they need to succeed in a male-dominated world. This course will look at the opportunities and challenges women face in the workplace, as well as common organisational dynamics. Modules will focus on a wide variety of topics aiming to give you a broad understanding of how to lead with confidence.
Leadership skills are affected by how others perceive you and it starts with your self-perception. Through this course, you’ll learn to accept yourself as a leader and recognise your talents for leadership based on past experiences. You’ll also learn how to read and diagnose context correctly to make the right decisions as a leader.
Being a successful leader means knowing how to influence others and negotiate for yourself and your team. The course will help you to recognise your own unique strengths as a leader and apply them to achieve your goals. You’ll also learn to see self-development and progression as a lifelong activity. Finally, you’ll imagine your future possibilities as a leader and create a personal development plan.
Benefits of a Women’s Leadership Development Programme
While a women’s leadership course cannot remove the barriers you face, it can help you make the most of the opportunities available. You’ll be able to understand and respond to gender and cultural assumptions as well as understand your own potential as a leader. It will help you to become more confident in your own abilities and give you the best chance of success. Here are some of the main benefits of studying a women’s leadership development course:
Improving confidence
Confidence is one of the biggest factors holding many women back from applying for senior roles. According to an American Association of University Women survey, females have lower self-esteem than boys do, have lower life expectations, and are less confident in their talents when they leave adolescence. A leadership development programme can help to improve confidence.
Avoiding social and cultural conditioning
Men who are successful and likeable tend to be more likeable than successful women who are perceived as being overly ambitious or dictatorial. Women can benefit from targeted programmes that assist them become conscious of their preexisting biases and find a community of other women who can relate to their struggles.
Join a global network of female leaders
Enrolling in a development programme gives you access to a network of other professionals who have similar goals and aspirations. Many women lack mentors and figures they can look up to, both of which this network can provide.
