Women leadership: barriers and unlocking potential

As part of International Women’s Day, a workshop on women and leadership was held at TBS Education-Barcelona, led by anthropologist Beatriz Mallén. She has worked in this field with various people, including those in conflict zones and expatriates, always focusing on health and gender. This workshop was no exception, as its goal was to share the barriers we face and unlock the potential of the participants.

It’s a non-binary concept, one that doesn’t refer to the gender we are born with but to how each person lives

The workshop began by inviting participants to quickly reflect on the values they associate with women in leadership. Among the values mentioned were words like respect, honesty, empathy, and equality. No answer was considered more correct or incorrect than another, as these ideas were related to concepts that we all associate with our collective image of both women and men in leadership. These aren’t just concepts that tend to be mixed up; being a specific gender doesn’t necessarily mean leading with the approach it’s typically attributed to.

What matters is the habits that people relate to each other, act, and live, beyond the gender with which they are born. Therefore, one goal is to normalize and unlink these concepts, breaking down barriers in the process. By doing so, we contribute to abolishing some of these obstacles.

There are internal and external barriers

With the list of concepts presented, we were able to evaluate one of the problems we face as a society: the obstacles that people believe that others expect of them. For example, women are often attributed with greater creativity, people orientation, and a tendency to seek long-term solutions, while men are perceived as more direct, assertive, and task-oriented.

These adjectives are often associated with leadership, but if we examine the characteristics attributed to both, these ideas reinforce stereotypes, causing individuals to feel ashamed and create obstacles for themselves.

Many of these restrictions begin within us, and often, we are unaware of them. For instance, as Beatriz mentioned, when applying for a job, women tend to submit their applications only if their qualifications match 100% or, at most, 90%, whereas men, in general, apply when they meet about 60%. This translates into a self-imposed barrier, as there are no external obstacles preventing women from submitting applications as frequently as men, causing phenomena such as the Impostor Syndrome.

Sharing is important to break down these barriers

In the workshop, this issue was addressed through various self-reflection exercises and support. Anonymously, participants were invited to think about what they identified with certain limiting phrases, such as:

• “I don’t deserve the recognition I receive.”
• “I’m afraid of making a mistake and feeling bad about it.”
• “I don’t have the experience to lead.”

These phrases immediately resonated with the participants, who were invited to rephrase them in their own words, and as an exercise of empathy, they shared these reflections with peers. It was not only about being heard and vocalizing those words (which made them more powerful) but also about sharing the thoughts of others and listening to their perspectives. In doing so, the participants were able to observe how their self-concepts might not be as relevant to others.

Sharing experiences proved valuable for both individuals and the group, as it fostered understanding and reflection while also emphasizing the importance of recognizing our strengths, often without us realizing it. Participants mentioned names of friends, family members, work supervisors, and even famous individuals who served as role models for various reasons.

Sharing these thoughts with their role models helps individuals become more aware of themselves and begin to break down those barriers. It’s not just about a compliment for a behavior, but once again, about an exercise in empathy with positive consequences for both as well as for society.

Talk, reflect, and keep evolving

Although this workshop was held within the framework of International Women’s Day, as mentioned at the beginning, these are not isolated topics that should only be remembered on specific dates. They are issues that affect us in our daily lives, sometimes in unexpected ways. Therefore, it is important to continue working and reflecting to be authentic, fighting for equality and normalization, and ultimately for the well-being of both individuals and groups.