Not the same as men, and not the same as what is on offer. At least not one-to-one. But I would still argue that women are not opting out of boards or the top positions that are the last link in the food chain to a board position.
Women simply choose (more often than men) to acquire skills that unfortunately do not lead to top positions because, according to the prevailing management philosophy, they do not enable them to head a successful company.
I would venture to say that more women (and men with a feminine leadership style) would go for top positions if the qualifications emphasized in candidates reflected feminine values and leadership styles to a greater extent.
How could it be any different?
The female leaders I meet are certainly no less ambitious about leadership than men. Not at all. In fact, many of them have such clear principles about good and effective leadership that they would never compromise them to land a position!
This does not mean that, with their good intentions, they are choosing not to pursue a career path that will take them to the top.
On the contrary, they want and expect career paths to change so that they do not need to have the same education, professional experience, and approach to maternity leave that is currently expected of 'the right candidate'.
But what do you think?
Do typical female choices make a person a less suitable candidate for top management?
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