Our perceptions represent the way we see the world works and they also strongly influence those we live and work with.
Carol Hymowitz, in her October 24, 2005 "In The Lead" column of The Wall Street Journal, tells us that Catalyst, the New York research group, asked 296 executives of both genders to rate by percentage the effectiveness of female and male leaders on ten different leadership behaviors. Both genders said men are better at networking, influencing upward and delegating.
"Women as well as men perceive women leaders as better at caretaker behaviors and men as better at take-charge behaviors," says Ilene Lang, president of Catalyst. "These are perceptions, not the reality."
Three decades after droves of women started business careers, and at a time when 50.3% of all managers and professionals are female, women still comprise fewer than 2% of Fortune 1,000 CEOs and just 7.9% of Fortune 500 top earners. The glass ceiling remains unbroken.