Why we have too few women leaders | Sheryl Sandberg

Despite progress, women are not reaching the top echelons of any profession globally. Statistics show that only 9 out of 190 heads of state are women, 13% of parliamentarians are women, and corporate C-level jobs or board seats for women top out at 15-16%, numbers that haven't moved since 2002. Even in non-profits, women in leadership are only 20%. Additionally, women face harder choices between professional success and personal fulfillment, with married senior male managers having children at twice the rate of their female counterparts.

Sheryl Sandberg focuses on what individuals can do to keep women in the workforce and help them reach the top. She proposes three core messages for women: 'sit at the table,' 'make your partner a real partner,' and 'don't leave before you leave.'

Women consistently underestimate their own abilities and are less likely to negotiate for themselves. Studies show men attribute their success to themselves ('I'm awesome'), while women attribute it to external factors like luck or hard work. This disinclination to acknowledge their success and assert themselves hinders their advancement. Sandberg provides an anecdote about women consistently putting their hands down seeking questions than men at the end of her talk. She also highlights a Harvard Business School study where a successful individual named Heidi Roizen was liked less than an identical profile named Howard Roizen, illustrating the negative correlation between success and likeability for women. This creates a challenging paradox where women must believe in themselves and negotiate, even when it might be met with negative perceptions.

Sandberg argues that progress in the workforce has outpaced progress in the home. Data indicates that when both spouses work full-time and have children, women do twice the housework and three times the childcare. This imbalance often leads women to leave the workforce to manage home responsibilities. She emphasizes the need to value household work equally for both genders and notes that households with equal earning and responsibility have a lower divorce rate and a better intimate relationship.

Women often prematurely lean back in their careers when they start thinking about having children, even if the actual event is years away. This means they stop seeking promotions, taking on new projects, or asserting themselves, effectively disengaging before they need to. Sandberg advises women to 'keep their foot on the gas pedal' until the very moment they need to take a break for a child, ensuring their job remains challenging and rewarding enough to motivate their return.

Sandberg acknowledges that her generation might not achieve 50% women in leadership roles, but holds hope for future generations. She believes a world where half of countries and companies were run by women would be a better world, where both her son and daughter have equal choices and opportunities, and her daughter is liked for her accomplishments.