Are women better leaders?

In order to combat the well-established gender pay gap and the newly uncovered aspiration gap, we are seeing more companies make use of gender diversity initiatives to increase the number of women in leadership roles. While the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions is well documented, there’s plenty of research out there indicating that female bosses may even be more productive, efficient, and forward-thinking than their male counterparts. Are women really better leaders?

Performance under pressure

Women generally score higher on their ability to collaborate and foster meaningful teamwork, which is absolutely essential in a working environment. While many of us may have experienced fractious workplaces fraught with office politics, the chances of you working in a harmonious and collaborative environment in which real teamwork exists are in fact boosted considerably if your boss is a woman. Cohesion and collaboration are key for the productivity of any team, so women leaders could have a direct positive impact on the bottom line of your company.

Building relationships

When it comes to building relationships with employees and co-workers, women tend to rate higher than men. This means that female bosses may be more likely to socialise with their team, take interest in their employees and form strong bonds and relationships at work – this is especially useful for reducing turnover and interviewing, hiring and retaining new recruits. A new hire is far more likely to ‘feel at home’ and stay put in their position if they’re working under a woman boss. There is an array of companies that can help you to fill leadership roles and find new employees including New Street Consulting Group.

Communication and inspiration

Another key advantage of having a female boss is the fact that women tend to score higher when it comes to interpersonal skills, such as communication. According to much of the data, a woman boss is more likely to set goals and boundaries clearly whilst communicating efficiently with individual employees and the team as a whole. The fact that women are better communicators enables female bosses to inspire and motivate their teams more easily than their male peers, who may find it harder to communicate their expectations and ethos.