A new research brief from the Capgemini Research Institute, “Gender and Leadership: Navigating Bias, Opportunity and Change,” reveals that while male and female leaders view their own performance and skills on an equal footing, deep-rooted gender stereotypes still influence perceptions of leadership, especially in technical domains such as artificial intelligence, data analytics, and innovation.
The results indicate that even though there has been some progress toward equality in how both genders view their leadership abilities, biases in society and organisations still impact how skills and authority are recognised at work. The study finds that both female and male leaders now rate their own performance and skills almost the same, which shows progress toward equality in how leaders view themselves. This is different from earlier times when women often undervalued their abilities.
The findings suggest that despite progress toward gender parity in leadership confidence and capability, societal and organisational biases continue to distort how expertise and authority are recognised in the workplace.
This year’s data shows that 58% of women recognise confidence in themselves, citing it as a key strength, consistent with men (at 59%). Also, 68% of people believe that having more women in leadership positions helps businesses do better.
The report shows that even though there are good trends towards more inclusive leadership, many people still have strong beliefs about gender roles. For example, many men think important leadership skills like using AI, being innovative, being agile, or analysing data are mostly male skills.
On the other hand, many women believe these skills are for everyone and see innovation as slightly more feminine. This difference in thinking is especially clear when it comes to AI and automation. Almost half of the men see these skills as masculine, while a similar number of women see them as gender-neutral.
Despite this, most leaders agree that knowing how to use AI is crucial for advancing in their careers. However, both men and women feel uncertain about their technical skills. Less than half of both groups see their ability to use AI and automation as a strong point.
Continuing to see these skills through gender stereotypes might make the existing leadership gap even bigger.
Sarika Naik, the Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer at Capgemini, said that as technologies like AI transform businesses, leaders need to develop skills to adjust and lead in the future. She emphasised that gender stereotypes can change how people view leadership skills and affect career growth for both men and women. If these issues are not dealt with, they might eventually widen the gender gap in the workforce. Organisations need to break these biases through better training and systematic efforts to create truly inclusive leadership cultures.
Both men and women face challenges in their careers because of gender stereotypes. The report reveals that 53% of female leaders have experienced a negative bias in their pay because of their gender, compared to 40% of male leaders who feel they have received a pay advantage due to their gender.
Besides pay, there is also a concern with promotions, as just over half (52%) of leaders believe that men and women have equal chances to get promoted at their workplaces.
Moreover, 39% of those surveyed agree that talented women are often overlooked for leadership roles. It’s important to note that men are also affected by gender bias at work. The report found that nearly 40% of men cite “poor work-life balance” as one of the main barriers to advancing in their careers.
The report calls on leaders to redefine leadership frameworks to focus on measurable outcomes and collaborative skills rather than traditional, gendered archetypes.
