There is no difference between men and women when it comes to corporate leadership. This is the main finding of research conducted by Hogan Assessments and published this March. The study aimed to evaluate six myths about women’s behavior in management related to levels of ambition, risk appetite, ability to handle stress, strategic vision, and innovation.
The research was conducted by reviewing three major datasets from over 25,000 global executives, including personality scores, performance ratings, and key competencies. The study focused on understanding whether men and women differ in their personality traits, as well as identifying any gender differences in personality traits that predict leadership effectiveness.
“It’s incredible that even today, society—including the media—still echoes behavioral stereotypes about women in leadership positions, such as associating anxiety as something typically feminine that hinders decision-making. Recently, we even heard Mark Zuckerberg [CEO of Meta] say that companies need more ‘masculine energy,’ a statement that was exhaustively replicated worldwide and has no scientific basis,” explains Roberto Santos, partner-director of Ateliê RH, a pioneering consultancy in using the Hogan methodology in Brazil.
In Brazil, data from IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) shows that only 39% of women held managerial positions in 2022—even though the female participation rate in the labor market reached 53.3% that same year. In 2023, a study by the National Industry Observatory found that the number of women in leadership remained the same, even though they have twice the level of education compared to men.
Indeed, a similar discrepancy occurs worldwide. A global survey by Grant Thornton International showed that in 2023, women held 33.5% of senior management positions globally, even though they represent 42% of the global workforce.
The myths debunked by the research
“In all the myths analyzed, the study proves that there are no personality differences between male and female executives. But unfortunately, women continue to face enormous barriers to career advancement—and these results are important because they reinforce the need to abandon outdated beliefs based on prejudices that prevent highly qualified women from reaching leadership positions,” Santos evaluates.
The first myth evaluated was that of female ambition, often questioned as inferior to male ambition. Contrary to what one might think, analyses of personality scores showed that male and female executives have similar levels of ambition, with no significant differences between genders. Ambition was measured using the ‘Ambition’ scale from the Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI). In practice, the result shows that job performance, in this regard, is equal for men and women.
Another point analyzed concerns decision-making and risk propensity, often associated with men. Hogan Assessments’ research revealed that men and women are equally decisive and prone to taking risks, invalidating the idea that women are more cautious or indecisive.
Moreover, traits such as excessive caution—which, within the Hogan methodology, refers to an excessive concern with criticism—as well as being obsequious—defined as being anxious to please and reluctant to act autonomously—are equally detrimental to both men and women.
The widely held belief that women are not natural leaders was also contested. Using scales related to the Five-Factor Model (Adjustment, Ambition, Sociability, Interpersonal Sensitivity, Prudence, Inquisitiveness, and Learning Approach), the data indicated that women exhibit the same essential leadership characteristics as men.
Another widely disseminated myth is that women need to adopt traditionally masculine traits to be effective leaders. The study demonstrated that traits considered masculine, such as dominance or bluntness, do not confer any specific advantage to men; on the contrary, the performance of leaders of both genders is negatively affected by this trait.
Finally, the study also analyzed the ability of men and women to handle high-stress situations and their competence in innovation and strategy. The results revealed no significant gender differences in these skills, showing that both men and women perform similarly under high-pressure contexts and in strategic and innovative demands.
Thus, Santos concludes, organizations must uncover the real internal cultural barriers that limit women’s access to executive positions, as the most common myths about personality differences between genders are scientifically contested by this and other studies.
