A sobering study shows that acceptance of women in leadership positions is declining and prejudice is increasing. And while the 55-65 generation often takes female managers for granted, tolerance among younger people is falling dramatically.
Huge bias against women in leadership positions: Latest survey data shows that one in two people would feel uncomfortable if a woman led a company.
Women also have prejudices against women in leadership positions
The Reykjavík Index for Leadership measures how society perceives women and men in terms of their suitability for leadership roles and examines how satisfied society is with female leaders in general. The current results show a downward trend in the G7 countries. In addition, data was collected this year (2023/24) from all the Nordic countries, including Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands. The results:
- Both men and women are prejudiced against women in leadership positions: the data from the G7 countries show not only a widening gender gap, but also a deterioration in women’s attitudes towards other women in leadership positions: from 75 index points in 2022/2023 (100 would mean: there is no prejudice) to 73 index points in 2023/24. Men are even more prejudiced: from 70 index points in 2022/23 to 66 index points in 2023/24.
- Young people are more prejudiced than their parents: the 55-65 age group achieved 73 index points in 2018/19, while the 18-34 age group achieved 70 index points. In 2023/24, the difference between generations will be
with 11 index points, almost four times as large: the number of index points for 55 to 65 year-olds has risen to 75, while that for 18 to 34 year-olds has fallen to 64.
- The average index values of the G7 countries are falling. Research shows a downward trend in the pursuit of gender equality: from 73 index points in 2019, 2020 and 2021 to 72 index points in 2022/2023 to 70 index points in
2023/24.
Only one woman at the top of an Austrian stock exchange company
The fact is that only a few women manage to reach the top of large companies. Of all the Austrian companies listed on the Vienna stock exchange, there is only one with a female CEO, namely Immofinanz AG with boss Radka Doehring.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
