New study reveals

More prejudice against women in management positions

All over the world, there is a downward trend in the acceptance of female managers.

(Bild: BullRun - stock.adobe.com)

A sobering study shows that acceptance of women in management positions is decreasing and prejudice is increasing. And: while the generation of 55 to 65-year-olds now largely sees female managers as a matter of course, tolerance among younger people is decreasing dramatically.

Massive prejudice against women in management positions: Recent survey data shows that one in two people would feel uncomfortable with a woman leading a company.

Women also have prejudices against women in management positions
The Reykjavík Index for Leadership measures how society perceives women and men in terms of their suitability for leadership roles and examines how satisfied society as a whole is with female leaders. The current results show a downward trend in the G7 countries. In addition, this year (2023/24) data was collected from all Nordic countries, including Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands. The results:

• Both men and women have biases against women in leadership roles: G7 data shows not only a growing gender gap, but also a regression in women's attitudes towards other women in leadership roles: From 75 index points in 2022/23 (100 would mean: there is no prejudice) to 73 index points in 2023/24. Men are even more prejudiced: from 70 index points in 2022/23 to 66 index points in 2023/24.
• Young people are more prejudiced than their parents: the 55 to 65 age group still reached 73 index points in 2018/19, while 18 to 34-year-olds were at 70 index points. In 2023/24, the difference between the generations will be
  is almost four times as large at 11 index points: the number of index points for 55- to 65-year-olds has risen to 75, while that of 18- to 34-year-olds has fallen to 64.

• Average index values of the G7 countries are falling. The research shows a downward trend in the pursuit of gender equality: from 73 index points in 2019, 2020 and 2021 to 72 index points in 2022/23 to 70 index points in
  2023/24.

Only one woman at the top of an Austrian listed company
The fact is that only a few women make it to the top of large companies. Of all the Austrian companies listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange, there is only one with a female CEO, namely Immofinanz AG and its CEO Radka Doehring.