The outlook for women in senior leadership and management positions in the UK has improved. In 1914, on the eve of the First World War, only 23.6% of women were employed, and these jobs were primarily menial or domestic service positions, not those of leadership. 111 years later, these women’s great-granddaughters and great-great-great-granddaughters have far better prospects. According to the UK government’s latest statistics, ‘more than 60% of FTSE 350 companies’ were within ‘striking distance’ of the 40% target for women’s representation in boardrooms. A big improvement from 1914, to be sure, but within striking distance of 40% is not equality, and in an average UK company, only 30% of senior leadership positions are held by women.
This article examines the ongoing barriers for women in leadership and how these challenges can be addressed through sustainable and strategic change.
The barriers faced by women in the workplace are frequently systemic and deeply rooted – and in many cases are not consciously recognised by the owners and leaders of the employing companies. In fact, most UK business leaders are openly and genuinely committed to gender equality. So why the ongoing systemic challenges?
Despite awareness of the gender gap, many organisations still struggle with unconscious biases that block career progression for women. Often, women have limited access to informal networks, critical assignments, or fair compensation for work undertaken above and beyond their job description. Rigidity in working patterns in some companies is a particular challenge, especially for women balancing senior roles with caregiving and parenting responsibilities. Without wider access to flexible policies and equitable opportunities for development, talent is lost before it can rise.
Assumptions about what ‘good business leadership’ looks like is often based on stereotypically masculine behavioural characteristics that can disproportionately disadvantage women. Qualities such as assertiveness and decisiveness are traditionally lauded in the workplace, while soft skills such as empathy and collaboration, the very traits that drive modern and inclusive workplaces, are sometimes undervalued or overlooked. Performance reviews, promotion decisions, job adverts, and succession planning can reinforce these biases in businesses, creating a cycle that is hard to break.
Talent and readiness for leadership are not always self-defined. In many cases, women do not have the confidence to apply for senior roles unless they meet every criterion listed. On the other hand, men are often willing to try their luck and apply for positions with fewer qualifications. This confidence, compounded by a lack of female role models and advocates in the workplace, sometimes closes doors to advancement and deters high-potential women from stepping forward into leadership positions.
By recognising these systemic and structural issues, businesses have the potential to remove barriers and create proactive support structures that develop leadership capabilities across their whole workforce. When integrated into a leadership development programme, the following strategies can help foster a culture in which women’s leadership careers can thrive.
Mentoring and sponsorship both have transformational potential in the modern workplace, but what is the difference between a mentor and a sponsor? Rather than offering guidance alone, a sponsor actively champions talented women, advocating for them in recruitment discussions and steering them towards influential assignments with the potential to develop their career. Structured sponsorship programmes, which are formalised, measured, and led from the very top, can help rising women leaders to gain greater visibility and prominence. Senior leadership must commit to identifying and supporting high potential women within their organisations, actively involving themselves in progression discussions and holding line managers to account for equitable opportunities and outcomes.
Inclusive leadership development initiatives re-examine the fundamentals, such as are access, content, and progression criteria genuinely fair and enabling for all applicants. Embedding practices such as diversity audits, evidence-based appointments and promotion standards, and unconscious bias awareness training into your leadership development approach will help open doors to more participants. However, for change to be real and far-reaching, it is important that these interventions move beyond tick boxes and stand-alone reviews. Development journeys should be individually tailored and evaluated for impact, and updated as necessary to reflect emerging challenges and the lived experiences of female employees.
Individual and group-based coaching interventions can be powerful levers for aspirational women leaders. In particular, high-quality coaching for women in leadership can equip participants to build greater strategic clarity, develop an authentic leadership voice, and overcome common psychological barriers to progression, such as imposter syndrome. Spaces that support candid and open dialogue within an atmosphere of psychological safety are critical, helping to build peer support among female colleagues as well as facilitating personal and professional growth. Over time, and when coupled with practical leadership assignments, coaching can reinforce the capabilities and confidence of your female talent and create a pipeline of women leaders ready and willing to step up to senior positions.
Leadership potential flourishes in real-world settings, which is why experiential learning is so important in a development programme. Experiential development modalities, including role rotations and simulation experiences, give women the practical exposure to decision-making they need to make real transformational change in the workplace. For example, temporary executive assignments and cross-functional team leadership can unlock a variety of skillsets and build greater self-assurance, equipping future female managers with the tools and insights they need to succeed in top roles.
For businesses committed to breaking barriers and unlocking the full potential of their workforce, now is the time to act. By embedding equitable solutions at every level of your leadership development programme, you can unlock greater possibilities for female leaders to drive growth and profitability for your business, both now and in the future. To find out more, please contact one of the team at GRA today by clicking here.
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