female leadership case study

Women leaders make work better. Here’s the science behind how to promote them

Psychological research shows women leaders improve businesses. Experts share how to increase the number of women in leadership roles

Women and Girls
Healthy Workplaces

Professional women collaborating in a workplace setting

When more women are empowered to lead, everyone benefits. Decades of studies show women leaders help increase productivity, enhance collaboration, inspire organizational dedication, and improve fairness.

Despite these benefits, only 10% of Fortune 500 companies are led by women. How can businesses create more opportunities for women in leadership spaces using psychological science?

Industrial/organizational (I/O) psychologists offer a host of evidence-backed strategies for helping close the gender gap. These include earlier identification of leadership potential, training for men and others already in power to serve as allies, and formal mentoring and sponsorship programs.

“Women still face challenges to their authority and success that are greater than those faced by their male counterparts,” said Alice Eagly, PhD, a professor of psychology emerita at Northwestern University and pioneer in researching women’s leadership. “However, despite these difficulties, women are slowly rising in political leadership and in corporate and educational leadership.”

What happens when women lead

Decades of psychological research confirm when women are empowered to take on leadership positions, the effects can be metamorphic for everyone.

Female leaders demonstrate more transformational leadership styles , according to a landmark 1992 meta-analysis of 61 studies led by Eagly. They are more likely to epitomize what’s good in the organization and inspire people to go along with its mission, compared with men, study results show.
Women are now seen as equally or more competent as men , finds a 2020 meta-analysis led by Eagly. The study included data from 16 nationally representative public opinion polls involving more than 30,000 U.S. adults from 1946 to 2018. The researchers looked at three types of traits—communion (i.e., compassion, sensitivity), agency (i.e., ambition, aggression), and competence (i.e., intelligence, creativity)—and whether participants thought each trait was truer of women or men or equally true of both. Results showed that competence stereotypes changed dramatically over time. For example, in one 1946 poll, only 35% of those surveyed thought men and women were equally intelligent, and of those who believed there was a difference, more thought men were the more competent sex. In contrast, in one 2018 poll, 86% believed men and women were equally intelligent, 9% believed women were more intelligent, and only 5% believed men were more intelligent. Further, communal stereotypes viewing women as more compassionate and sensitive than men strengthened over time.
Team collaboration is greatly improved by the presence of women in the group, an effect that is primarily explained by women’s benefits to group processes, according to a 2010 study. In two studies with 699 people, organizational psychologist Anita Williams Woolley, PhD, and her colleagues examined working groups of two to five people and found the proportion of women in a group was strongly related to the group’s collective intelligence, which is their ability to work together and solve a wide range of problems. Groups with more women exhibited greater equality in conversational turn-taking, further enabling the group members to be responsive to one another and to make the best use of the knowledge and skills of members.
Women rank better than or equal to men in seven of eight traits relevant to leadership assessed in a 2008 national survey by the Pew Research Center. Half of the respondents ranked women as more honest than men, with 20% saying that men are more honest than women. In terms of intelligence, 38% said they viewed women as smarter, with only 14% indicating men are smarter. Women were also ranked as being more compassionate, outgoing, and creative.
The mere presence of a female leader relative to a male leader led perceivers to anticipate fairer treatment in that organization and greater projected salary and status, according to a 2022 study led by social psychologist Mansi P. Joshi, PhD. Female leaders cued organizational trust in both male- and female-dominated industries and when they occupied different levels of the organizational hierarchy.
Appointing women to the top tiers of management can even help mitigate deep-rooted stereotypes that are expressed in language , suggests a 2022 study. Researchers used natural language processing techniques to analyze more than 43,000 shareholder documents and investor calls from 33 male- and female-led S&P 500 organizations and found that hiring female chief executive officers and board members was associated with changes in organizations’ use of language by helping to associate women with characteristics that are critical for leadership success. “Our findings suggest that female representation is not merely an end, but also a means to systematically change insidious gender stereotypes and overcome the trade-off between women being perceived as either competent or likeable,” study authors wrote.

Slow but steady progress

Thanks to ongoing efforts to promote gender equality in the workplace, female leaders are slowly making inroads in business , Congress , higher education , and in the field of psychology. Despite these bright spots, the proportion of male and female leaders is still far from equal. It’s a refrain that’s been sounded for years by psychology leaders, including the late Jean Lau Chin, EdD, the first Asian American psychologist to be licensed in the state of Massachusetts, and a pioneer in advocating for more diversity in leadership.

“Getting a seat at the table is not enough,” Chin proclaimed in a 2016 TEDx Talk . “It’s time for women and diverse leaders to be at the head of the table in leadership roles if we’re going to have a future moving forward together.”

Many women experience bias not only as a result of gender but also due to race, sexual orientation, a disability, or other aspects of their identity. Latinas and Black women are less likely than women of other races and ethnicities to report their manager supports their career development, according to a 2022 Women in the Workplace report by McKinsey & Company.

They also experience less psychological safety. McKinsey’s report found that Asian women and Black women are less likely to have strong allies on their teams. They are also less likely than White women to say senior colleagues have taken important sponsorship actions on their behalf, such as praising their skills or advocating for a compensation increase for them. In addition, LGBTQ+ women and women with disabilities report experiencing more demeaning and alienating microaggressions. Compared with women overall, they’re more likely to have colleagues comment on their appearance or tell them that they “look mad” or “should smile more.”

Infographic showing how to help more women into leadership by identifying potential leaders early, establishing mentorship and sponsorship programs, supporting women in jointing women-led professional organization, and focusing on allyship

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What can organizations do to help advance more women into leadership?

Science points to a series of steps organizations and individuals can take to help close the leadership gender gap.

Identify potential leaders early. One promising approach is the earlier identification of leadership potential , says Anna Marie Valerio, PhD, an executive coach and adjunct professor of psychology at New York University. This includes enabling potential leadership candidates to obtain a wealth of feedback at an early point in their careers, through assignments, mentoring, and coaching, all of which may allow them to develop their networks and demonstrate their ability to take on greater responsibilities.

“Giving women key experiences early in their careers helps give them the runway to be able to develop themselves and excel and go as far as their skills and abilities and motivation will take them,” said Valerio, author of the 2009 book Developing Women Leaders: A Guide for Men and Women in Organizations .

Establish mentorship programs that also focus on sponsorship. A host of studies tout the benefits of successful mentoring programs , including greater career success for individuals and higher levels of employee engagement, retention, and knowledge-sharing for organizations.

When it comes to mentors, however, it’s important that women seek out both mentors, who can provide career guidance, support, feedback, and knowledge, as well as sponsors, who go beyond the role of mentor and use their position and influence to proactively advocate for a junior employee’s advancement, says I/O psychologist Victoria Mattingly, PhD, founder and CEO of Mattingly Solutions, a workplace inclusion consulting firm.

“Research shows that sponsorship is more effective at helping advance into leadership positions than mentorship ,” Mattingly said. “Mentors are great as a sounding board and to provide guidance, but when the rubber hits the road, you need someone who will speak up for you when you’re not in the room.”

Support women in joining women-led professional organizations. Women also boost their leadership capabilities through joining women’s professional organizations , according to a 2023 study. Researchers surveyed members of a women-led professional organization in the southeastern United States and found that experiences within these women-led associations allow members to hone their leadership abilities, network with other women, work directly with and observe women leaders, and receive support from others to take on leadership roles.

“In turn, these members had increased leadership aspirations, more confidence in their leadership capabilities, and a more expansive view of leadership within their careers,” study authors wrote.

Organizations can encourage this by including professional development funds in their budgets to increase the ability of employees to take part in these groups.

Focus on allyship. Women aren’t the only ones who can help boost the number of female leaders, Mattingly said. Male executives who are trained on how to be allies are far more likely to speak up about incidents of gender inequality than men who are not trained in this approach, according to a 2018 study. “This happens because they are already in a position of power and they are not going to be penalized for speaking out the way a woman would,” said Mattingly, the study’s author.

Allies use their privilege and in-group status to support and advocate for those from a different, historically disadvantaged identity group, Mattingly said. Allyship should be examined through an intersectional lens as well, she added, with White women serving as allies for women of color, able-bodied allies for those with disabilities, or heterosexual allies for those within the LGBTQ+ community.

“It’s a matter of recognizing our privileges, working through biases that we all have as humans, and then leveraging that privilege to either step up or step back or step in and help those who have historically been left behind when it comes to advancing into leadership roles,” Mattingly said.

Thanks to these and other efforts around the globe empowering women to lead, the future of female leaders shows promise, Valerio said.

“We know so much more about this issue than we did 10 years ago, and we have the perspective of seeing what happens when you give people key experiences and the forums to learn from those experiences, and you give them mentors and coaches,” she said. “They are able to really make the strides they need to make, coupled with an attitude toward inclusion. I’m hopeful this may not even be an issue 10 years from now, though it will still require persistent effort for us to get there.”

10 Women Leadership Case Studies [2024]

This collection of case studies showcases the leadership of ten remarkable women who have steered their organizations through complex challenges and transformative changes. Each leader exemplifies strategic innovation, visionary foresight, and a commitment to ethical practices, significantly impacting their industries and setting new standards for future generations.

10 Women Leadership Case Studies

Case study 1: judith mckenna’s leadership in retail innovation at walmart, leadership challenge.

As President and CEO of Walmart International, Judith McKenna faced the challenge of improving customer satisfaction and loyalty across diverse markets, with the goal of personalizing the shopping experience for millions worldwide.

Strategic Leadership Action

McKenna implemented an AI-driven analytics platform to analyze complex customer data and shopping patterns. This enabled personalized marketing, refined inventory management, and tailored product recommendations. She integrated these insights across digital and physical platforms to ensure a cohesive and customized experience.

Leadership Impact

a. Enhanced Customer Engagement : Personalized interactions led to higher customer retention and satisfaction.

b. Operational Excellence : Streamlined inventory and marketing strategies, increasing efficiency and profitability.

Leadership Insights

a. Emphasis on Personalization Through Technology : McKenna’s use of AI to personalize customer interactions showcases the power of targeted technology in retail.

b. Visionary Retail Leadership : Her ability to integrate innovative solutions across a complex, global infrastructure highlights the effectiveness of visionary leadership.

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Case Study 2: Mads Nipper’s Renewable Energy Leadership at Ørsted

As CEO of Ørsted, Mads Nipper faced the formidable task of transforming the company’s focus from fossil fuels to sustainable energy solutions. The challenge was to make renewable energy accessible and economically feasible on a large scale.

Nipper led a strategic pivot towards offshore wind energy, championing investments in technological advancements to reduce costs and enhance efficiency. She promoted innovative financing models to make these projects financially sustainable and established strategic partnerships to scale these solutions.

a. Sustainable Development : Nipper’s initiatives significantly reduced Ørsted’s carbon emissions and propelled the industry towards sustainable energy practices.

b. Economic and Social Benefits : The shift improved Ørsted’s financial performance and generated employment opportunities in emerging sectors.

a. Commitment to Sustainable Practices : Nipper’s focused leadership in sustainable energy demonstrates how clear goals and committed leadership can affect environmental change.

b. Innovative Leadership in Energy : By implementing forward-thinking financing and technological strategies, she has set new benchmarks in the energy sector.

Case Study 3: Anne Wojcicki’s Pioneering Leadership in Personalized Healthcare at 23andMe

As CEO of 23andMe, Anne Wojcicki tackled the pioneering challenge of making personal genetic information widely accessible and understandable to the public amidst complex regulatory challenges and skepticism.

Wojcicki led the launch of a direct-to-consumer genetic testing service, offering insights into ancestry and health. She focused on rigorous compliance with regulatory standards and built user trust through transparent communication and robust data privacy measures.

a. Revolutionized Consumer Health : Wojcicki’s efforts have enabled millions to access their genetic information, empowering them with knowledge about their health predispositions.

b. Catalyzed Research and Development : By accumulating a vast database of genetic information, 23andMe has fueled numerous research studies, advancing the field of genomics.

a. Innovative Approach to Healthcare : Wojcicki’s leadership demonstrates the potential of personalized medicine and the significant impact of making scientific advances accessible to the general public.

b. Ethical Leadership in Genomics : Her focus on consumer privacy and regulatory compliance has set industry standards for ethical practices in the rapidly evolving field of genomics.

Related: Different Leadership Styles for Women

Case Study 4: Ginni Rometty’s Transformational Leadership at IBM

As CEO of IBM, Ginni Rometty faced the challenge of transitioning the company from traditional hardware and software to cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

Rometty spearheaded a transformative strategy, investing heavily in cloud infrastructure and AI, including acquiring Red Hat. Her leadership focused on innovation and cognitive computing solutions, positioning IBM for future growth.

a. Repositioned IBM in the Tech Industry : Rometty’s strategic focus on cloud and AI redefined IBM’s role in the technology sector, aligning it more closely with emerging industry trends and customer needs.

b. Enhanced Business Agility : The shift towards more flexible cloud solutions under her leadership allowed IBM to better respond to the dynamic needs of its global customer base.

a. Visionary Technological Adaptation : Rometty’s ability to foresee and act upon shifts in the tech landscape demonstrates the importance of visionary leadership in maintaining industry relevance.

b. Empowering Innovation through Acquisitions : Her strategic acquisitions, like that of Red Hat, underscore the role of decisive leadership in enhancing technological capabilities and competitive edge.

Case Study 5: Mary Barra’s Visionary Leadership in Automotive Innovation at General Motors

As CEO of General Motors, Mary Barra faced the challenge of leading the traditional automaker towards dominance in electric vehicles (EVs) and autonomous technology, requiring both technological innovation and a cultural shift.

Barra spearheaded GM’s transition to an all-electric future, investing heavily in EV development and autonomous technologies. Her strategy focused on developing the Ultium battery platform to make EVs more affordable and accessible while also forging strategic partnerships with tech companies to advance autonomous driving capabilities.

a. Accelerated EV Transition : Under Barra’s leadership, GM has set aggressive targets for an all-electric lineup by 2035, positioning the company as a leader in the global shift towards sustainable transportation.

b. Cultural Transformation : Barra has been instrumental in fostering a culture of innovation and sustainability within GM, aligning the company’s goals with global environmental demands.

a. Commitment to Sustainability : Barra’s focus on electric and autonomous vehicles reflects a strong commitment to sustainability and innovation.

b. Strategic Partnerships for Technological Advancement : Her approach to forming strategic alliances has kept GM at the forefront of automotive technology.

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Case Study 6: Rosalind Brewer’s Strategic Leadership in Global Expansion at Starbucks

Rosalind Brewer, as COO and Group President at Starbucks, navigated the challenge of driving growth and improving operational efficiency amidst global market saturation, striving to uphold the brand’s premium identity and its commitment to ethical practices.

Brewer led the expansion of Starbucks’ global presence through innovative store formats and technology enhancements. She emphasized digitalizing operations, incorporating mobile ordering, and personalized marketing to optimize customer interactions and enhance sales efficiency.

a. Enhanced Global Presence : Brewer’s leadership led to the expansion of Starbucks into new markets and the introduction of localized store formats that catered to regional tastes and preferences, driving international growth.

b. Operational Excellence : Technology integration improved operational efficiency and customer satisfaction, helping Starbucks maintain its market leadership amidst increasing competition.

a. Innovative Market Penetration Strategies : Brewer’s approach to international expansion through localized formats and digital engagement illustrates the importance of innovation in global market strategies.

b. Empowering Leadership in Retail : Her focus on community and ethical practices underlines the role of corporate responsibility in modern business leadership.

Case Study 7: Adena Friedman’s Leadership in Financial Innovation at Nasdaq

Adena Friedman, as CEO of Nasdaq, was charged with modernizing the exchange to keep pace with rapid technological advancements and evolving regulatory frameworks, aiming to boost market efficiency, transparency, and security.

Friedman repositioned Nasdaq as a technology-driven financial institution, incorporating blockchain for secure transactions, artificial intelligence for enhanced market surveillance, and cloud computing for effective data management. This strategic overhaul solidified Nasdaq’s role as a market operator and a global leader in financial technology.

a. Enhanced Market Efficiency : Under Friedman’s leadership, Nasdaq implemented advanced trading and surveillance technologies that improved the speed, accuracy, and security of market operations.

b. Global Technology Leadership : Nasdaq emerged as a pioneer in adopting new technologies in the economic sector, setting standards that have been adopted worldwide.

a. Embracing Technological Innovation : Friedman’s proactive approach to integrating advanced technologies demonstrates the critical importance of innovation in maintaining market leadership.

b. Strategic Vision for Financial Markets : Her ability to foresee and act upon technological trends has positioned Nasdaq at the forefront of financial market evolution.

Related: Female Leadership Statistics

Case Study 8: Indra Nooyi’s Transformative Leadership in Sustainability at PepsiCo

As CEO of PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi was tasked with steering the company toward sustainability while balancing profitability with the growing consumer demand for healthier products and reduced environmental impact.

Nooyi initiated the “Performance with Purpose” campaign, embedding sustainability into PepsiCo’s core operations. This strategy focused on decreasing environmental footprints, expanding into healthier product lines, and supporting sustainable agriculture. Under her leadership, substantial R&D investments helped innovate products and improve operational efficiencies.

a. Sustainability Milestones Achieved : Nooyi’s initiatives substantially reduced water usage, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste generation across PepsiCo’s global operations.

b. Healthier Product Portfolio : By expanding the range of healthier options and reducing added sugars, fats, and sodium across major brands, PepsiCo is better aligned with changing consumer preferences.

a. Integrating Sustainability and Business Goals : Nooyi demonstrated that sustainability and business performance are not mutually exclusive and can be integrated to drive long-term growth.

b. Visionary Leadership in Consumer Goods : Her foresight in adapting to consumer health trends while focusing on environmental impact has set a benchmark for leadership in the consumer goods industry.

Case Study 9: Emma Walmsley’s Strategic Leadership in Pharmaceutical Innovation at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)

As CEO of GlaxoSmithKline, Emma Walmsley was tasked with rejuvenating a pharmaceutical giant struggling with a stagnant product pipeline and rising competition. Her main focus was to boost the effectiveness of the company’s R&D, targeting significant medical innovations.

Walmsley overhauled GSK’s R&D strategy, advocating a science-first approach and channeling investments into high-potential areas. She streamlined R&D operations, enhanced decision-making, and formed key partnerships with biotech firms to expedite drug development.

a. Revitalized Drug Pipeline : Under Walmsley’s leadership, GSK launched several key pharmaceuticals and vaccines, significantly enhancing its competitive position in the market.

b. Increased R&D Productivity : Her reforms led to a more focused and productive R&D organization, marked by faster development times and better allocation of resources.

a. Science-Driven Strategy : Walmsley’s focus on a science-led approach in R&D underscores the importance of foundational science in driving pharmaceutical innovation.

b. Collaborative and Decisive Leadership : Her ability to make tough decisions and establish beneficial partnerships has been crucial in repositioning GSK as a leader in healthcare innovation.

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Case Study 10: Sheryl Sandberg’s Leadership in Social Media Strategy at Facebook

As COO of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg was tasked with expanding operations and monetizing effectively while maintaining user trust in an evolving digital landscape. Her efforts were crucial in transforming Facebook from a startup to a global powerhouse.

Sandberg devised a sophisticated monetization strategy based on data-driven advertising, leveraging Facebook’s extensive user data for targeted ads. She also navigated regulatory challenges by enhancing data transparency and strengthening user privacy protections.

a. Revenue Growth : Sandberg’s strategies significantly boosted Facebook’s advertising revenue, turning it into one of the most profitable tech companies.

b. Strengthened User Trust : She helped restore and maintain user trust during critical periods by improving privacy controls and transparency.

a. Effective Monetization in Digital Platforms : Sandberg’s approach to monetization through targeted ads showcases an effective model for digital revenue without compromising user experience.

b. Strategic Leadership in Crisis Management : Her role in navigating complex regulatory environments demonstrates the importance of proactive and strategic leadership in maintaining company integrity and public trust.

These ten case studies provide valuable insights into the diverse approaches and strategies women employ in leadership roles. By overcoming significant challenges and implementing innovative solutions, these leaders have advanced their respective organizations and contributed to shaping a more inclusive and progressive business landscape.

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Women’s leadership and participation: case studies on learning for action.

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Women across the world bear a disproportionate burden of poverty in terms of material deprivation, discrimination, and denial of their basic rights. This means they often have little opportunity to influence the processes and institutions which shape their lives. The under-representation of women’s voices in decision-making and agenda-setting at all levels mean that their interests tend to be under-represented in critical policy-making fora, and their skills, experience, and knowledge under-utilized. This entrenches both gender inequality and the poverty confronted by women and their communities on a daily basis. There are, however, many examples where women have found the courage and the opportunities to challenge the status quo and become active citizens and successful leaders in political, economic and civil institutions, with inspiring results. This book brings together lessons and experience in building up women’s involvement from Oxfam GB and its partners. Women’s Leadership and Participation illustrates methodological approaches and learning points, covering a range of issues, from women’s participation in national elections to female decision-making in community livelihood initiatives. It asks the questions: what are the structural barriers to women’s leadership and participation? How can women be encouraged to take up leadership positions? Once they are leading, how can women (and men) be supported to carry out their roles effectively and for progressive purposes? The case studies in this book are also available as individual papers.

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Breaking Through the Self-Doubt That Keeps Talented Women from Leading

There it is, gleaming at the top of your LinkedIn feed: your dream job, a high-level, well-paying position in your field. Are you qualified enough? Should you apply? New research shows that women might be less likely to take that chance than men.

Talented women are more likely to shy away from applying for job opportunities, particularly more advanced, higher-paying positions, because they’re concerned they aren’t qualified enough, whereas men don’t seem to worry about their skills matching the specific job requirements as much, according to research by Harvard Business School Associate Professor Katherine B. Coffman that was recently published in Management Science .

Women tend to avoid applying for advanced positions where men are stereotypically believed to have an advantage, such as more analytical or management-oriented roles, according to the research, coauthored with Manuela R. Collis and Leena Kulkarni, former research associates at HBS.

“We found that candidates were talented, and yet they self-selected out,” Coffman says.

Ultimately, that means many businesses advertising for executive positions may wind up with applicant pools that are dominated by men, simply because women are more hesitant to dive in, a scenario that likely contributes to a gender gap in wages and positions that has persisted for decades. In 2023, the World Economic Forum declared that despite slow and steady gains in the proportion of women hired to leadership positions in the past eight years, at the current rate of change, the global gender gap is still 130 years away from closing.

Coffman’s research study was inspired by a commonly quoted statistic : Men apply for a job when they meet only 60 percent of the qualifications, but women apply only if they meet 100 percent of them.

“You hear this so much because it resonates with people, so we set out to do empirical work around that: Is this indeed the pattern we see in an experimental context? If it is, what might we be able to do about it?” she says.

As it turns out, Coffman’s research reveals that businesses can take a simple step to draw more women to apply: Make it easier for candidates to know whether they are qualified. Instead of using vague language about the experience or skills candidates need in job postings, be more precise about expected qualifications. When businesses ask for specific levels of experience and skills, more women that meet those requirements are likely to apply.

Women hold fewer leadership positions

The article, titled “Whether to Apply,” opens with a question that a BBC interviewer posed to Donna Strickland, a Canadian Nobel laureate in physics, in 2018: “Why are you not a full professor—given your eminence?”

The question was met with a period of silence before Strickland answered simply: “I never applied.”

That’s just one example of a high-achieving woman choosing not to put herself forward for a high-level position. Coffman’s latest research follows previous studies she has conducted that show women lack confidence in their ability to contribute and perform in stereotypically male fields and that employers often favor men for jobs in those fields.

These forces likely contribute to the significant gender leadership gap. In fact, a 2023 LinkedIn study of workers in 163 countries shows that women account for about 42 percent of the workforce, yet the share of women in senior leadership positions is 32 percent—and at the C-suite level, female representation drops to 25 percent on average.

Vaguer job qualifications push women away

To determine how men and women respond to job ads, Coffman and her colleagues ran a first experiment on freelance job platform UpWork, where job-seekers complete extensive profiles outlining their education, credentials, scores on skills tests, and work history. The team acted as potential employers and sent similarly skilled UpWork users ads for short-term positions that put an emphasis on managerial or analytical acumen. The ads called for expertise in these stereotypically male domains that struggle with female underrepresentation and lack of advancement , Coffman explains.

The ad language was fairly generic: “We are looking for candidates with [management expertise/experience in analytical thinking], as demonstrated through education, past work experience, and test scores. Successful applicants will also have strong writing and communication skills.” The researchers offered an “intermediate” position, as well as an “expert” track that was considered more challenging but also came with more pay. Candidates had to choose which position to apply for, if any.

When the ad contained this vague guidance, qualified female workers were less likely to apply for the advanced opportunity than qualified male workers. In fact, just 6 percent of qualified women applied for the expert job, compared with 22 percent of qualified men.

Horizontal bar chart that compares the percentages of qualified women and men who apply for an expert job in reaction to how the qualifications are phrased. When they're vague, 42 percent of women apply and 56 percent of men. When they're detailed, 62 percent of women and 76 percent of men apply. When they invite candidate to apply, 59 percent of women and 75 percent of men respond.

However, 29 percent of women from the applicant pool responded when the team provided clear guidance on the required qualifications in its ad, instructing people with an exact threshold of analytical or management UpWork test scores to apply to the advanced position.

“Reducing ambiguity around expectations can help people recognize that they are qualified,” Coffman says. “This likely draws in people who would otherwise fail to recognize they are above the bar.”

Clarifying job candidate expectations attracts female applicants

Next, the research team recruited new participants on the research platform Prolific to participate in a follow-up experiment, again probing their willingness to apply for an “advanced opportunity.”

Participants first completed a test in science, math, and mechanical comprehension, which was drawn from the Armed Service Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) exam. Prolific users also completed a brief sociodemographic survey and built a resume that included their test score, basic education information, and details of their work quality and history on the Prolific platform.

Similar to the UpWork experiment, some participants received only generic information about parameters for the expert job, while others received more specific details, including the desired test score.

The controlled setting allowed the team to ask several follow-up questions, analyzing participants’ beliefs about how qualified they were; how high they considered the bar for the expert job; and how objective, specific, and clear the required qualifications were in the job ad.

Echoing the results of the first study, when the advanced job opportunity included only vague information about its requirements, only 42 percent of qualified women applied, compared with 56 percent of qualified men. But when researchers gave more specific guidance about desired test scores, up to 62 percent of women from the pool applied. In this study, the more specific guidance also increased the likelihood that qualified men applied.

How to broaden your applicant pool

What should a hiring manager intent on fielding more female candidates for high-level positions do? Coffman offers some advice:

Steer clear of vague qualifications. Companies may want to avoid using fuzzy, subjective catchphrases to attract seasoned employees, such as “several years in the industry” or “demonstrated excellence in the field,” the researchers say. “Our studies suggest that reducing ambiguity around required qualifications may help to draw more talented female candidates into an applicant pool,” Coffman says. “It could be a low-cost way for employers to grow the set of qualified, female applicants.”
State the amount of experience and the skills candidates should possess. “While it may not always be possible to remove all ambiguity about required qualifications, try to be specific when you can,” Coffman says. “Could you provide a specific number of years of experience? Or, give examples of what demonstrated excellence might look like. [Postings] that are concrete, objective, and clear all work in the direction of reducing ambiguity.”
Actively recruit qualified female candidates, rather than wait for people to apply. Managers shouldn’t take for granted that “the best people will rise to the surface, raise their hands, and say, ‘Yeah, I’m great,’” Coffman says. “It’s important to realize that we can’t just rely on people to put themselves forward and assert themselves. Stereotypes and bias may contribute to women being less likely to recognize their expertise and qualifications, particularly in domains that have been dominated by men historically.” For that reason, recruiters should consider being more proactive and widening the pool of candidates they consider, rather than sitting back and waiting for people to volunteer themselves.

In ongoing work, Coffman continues to unpack the factors that lead to the under-representation of women in male-typed fields. She is currently studying how candidates seek out and process feedback about their skills and how employers’ choices about what types of information to use in hiring decisions perpetuate existing gender gaps.

“How can we increase the number of talented women in the pipeline for these top positions?” Coffman asks. “And, once they are there, how do we make sure employers give them a fair shot? Solving one of these challenges without addressing the other is unlikely to lead to sustainable progress.”

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Case Study: What it Takes: Insights from Women Leaders in Financial Inclusion

As part of our Leadership & Diversity programs, Women’s World Banking tracks the career paths of high-potential women leaders, both to enhance our future program offerings for new generations of leaders and to share their experiences with others. With funding support from Credit Suisse, Women’s World Banking conducted case study research with women who participated in the leadership and diversity programs.

The goal of this case study research is to share the insights of past program participants and thereby motivate other aspiring women leaders, provoke conversation, and inspire new career pathways. We trust that women working in financial inclusion will find inspiration in the stories of these leaders who have navigated obstacles and achieved success to arrive where they are today in their professional journeys.

Research: How Bias Against Women Persists in Female-Dominated Workplaces

Amber L. Stephenson,
Leanne M. Dzubinski

A look inside the ongoing barriers women face in law, health care, faith-based nonprofits, and higher education.

New research examines gender bias within four industries with more female than male workers — law, higher education, faith-based nonprofits, and health care. Having balanced or even greater numbers of women in an organization is not, by itself, changing women’s experiences of bias. Bias is built into the system and continues to operate even when more women than men are present. Leaders can use these findings to create gender-equitable practices and environments which reduce bias. First, replace competition with cooperation. Second, measure success by goals, not by time spent in the office or online. Third, implement equitable reward structures, and provide remote and flexible work with autonomy. Finally, increase transparency in decision making.

It’s been thought that once industries achieve gender balance, bias will decrease and gender gaps will close. Sometimes called the “ add women and stir ” approach, people tend to think that having more women present is all that’s needed to promote change. But simply adding women into a workplace does not change the organizational structures and systems that benefit men more than women . Our new research (to be published in a forthcoming issue of Personnel Review ) shows gender bias is still prevalent in gender-balanced and female-dominated industries.

Amy Diehl , PhD is chief information officer at Wilson College and a gender equity researcher and speaker. She is coauthor of Glass Walls: Shattering the Six Gender Bias Barriers Still Holding Women Back at Work (Rowman & Littlefield). Find her on LinkedIn at Amy-Diehl , Twitter @amydiehl , and visit her website at amy-diehl.com
AS Amber L. Stephenson , PhD is an associate professor of management and director of healthcare management programs in the David D. Reh School of Business at Clarkson University. Her research focuses on the healthcare workforce, how professional identity influences attitudes and behaviors, and how women leaders experience gender bias.
LD Leanne M. Dzubinski , PhD is acting dean of the Cook School of Intercultural Studies and associate professor of intercultural education at Biola University, and a prominent researcher on women in leadership. She is coauthor of Glass Walls: Shattering the Six Gender Bias Barriers Still Holding Women Back at Work (Rowman & Littlefield).

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Honors College Theses

Women in leadership: a comparative case study on successful leadership.

Christine Newcomb , University of Massachusetts Boston

Date of Award

Document type.

Open Access Honors Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science (BS)

Margaret Cadieux

Rajini Srikanth

Subject Categories

Business | Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Leadership Studies | Women's Studies

The purpose of this report is to understand what makes a successful female leader. Since there are so few women in executive level positions, especially chief executive officer positions, I became interested in analyzing how successful leaders act in contrast with how unsuccessful leaders act. To analyze, I will focus on the leadership of two prominent businesswomen, one who has been successful in their tenure, and one who has been unsuccessful. Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, Inc. has been successful throughout her tenure, while Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo has been unsuccessful in turning the company around. I will analyze the similarities and differences between these leaders. Factors that will be considered include education, leadership style, reactions during moments of controversy and/or crisis, and their response to difficult issues. I expect to find that the success, or failure, of these women is mainly due to their styles of leadership as well as their level of emotional intelligence and communication style. Mary Barra exhibited a transformational style of leadership during her tenure, while expressing a high level of emotional intelligence. Marissa Mayer failed to adapt to the organizational culture of Yahoo and exhibited a transactional style of leadership and low level of emotional intelligence. External factors are also considered.

Recommended Citation

Newcomb, Christine, "Women in Leadership: A Comparative Case Study on Successful Leadership" (2017). Honors College Theses . 29. https://scholarworks.umb.edu/honors_theses/29

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Medical terms in lay language.

Please use these descriptions in place of medical jargon in consent documents, recruitment materials and other study documents. Note: These terms are not the only acceptable plain language alternatives for these vocabulary words.

This glossary of terms is derived from a list copyrighted by the University of Kentucky, Office of Research Integrity (1990).

For clinical research-specific definitions, see also the Clinical Research Glossary developed by the Multi-Regional Clinical Trials (MRCT) Center of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard and the Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC) .

Alternative Lay Language for Medical Terms for use in Informed Consent Documents

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

ABDOMEN/ABDOMINAL body cavity below diaphragm that contains stomach, intestines, liver and other organs ABSORB take up fluids, take in ACIDOSIS condition when blood contains more acid than normal ACUITY clearness, keenness, esp. of vision and airways ACUTE new, recent, sudden, urgent ADENOPATHY swollen lymph nodes (glands) ADJUVANT helpful, assisting, aiding, supportive ADJUVANT TREATMENT added treatment (usually to a standard treatment) ANTIBIOTIC drug that kills bacteria and other germs ANTIMICROBIAL drug that kills bacteria and other germs ANTIRETROVIRAL drug that works against the growth of certain viruses ADVERSE EFFECT side effect, bad reaction, unwanted response ALLERGIC REACTION rash, hives, swelling, trouble breathing AMBULATE/AMBULATION/AMBULATORY walk, able to walk ANAPHYLAXIS serious, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction ANEMIA decreased red blood cells; low red cell blood count ANESTHETIC a drug or agent used to decrease the feeling of pain, or eliminate the feeling of pain by putting you to sleep ANGINA pain resulting from not enough blood flowing to the heart ANGINA PECTORIS pain resulting from not enough blood flowing to the heart ANOREXIA disorder in which person will not eat; lack of appetite ANTECUBITAL related to the inner side of the forearm ANTIBODY protein made in the body in response to foreign substance ANTICONVULSANT drug used to prevent seizures ANTILIPEMIC a drug that lowers fat levels in the blood ANTITUSSIVE a drug used to relieve coughing ARRHYTHMIA abnormal heartbeat; any change from the normal heartbeat ASPIRATION fluid entering the lungs, such as after vomiting ASSAY lab test ASSESS to learn about, measure, evaluate, look at ASTHMA lung disease associated with tightening of air passages, making breathing difficult ASYMPTOMATIC without symptoms AXILLA armpit

BENIGN not malignant, without serious consequences BID twice a day BINDING/BOUND carried by, to make stick together, transported BIOAVAILABILITY the extent to which a drug or other substance becomes available to the body BLOOD PROFILE series of blood tests BOLUS a large amount given all at once BONE MASS the amount of calcium and other minerals in a given amount of bone BRADYARRHYTHMIAS slow, irregular heartbeats BRADYCARDIA slow heartbeat BRONCHOSPASM breathing distress caused by narrowing of the airways

CARCINOGENIC cancer-causing CARCINOMA type of cancer CARDIAC related to the heart CARDIOVERSION return to normal heartbeat by electric shock CATHETER a tube for withdrawing or giving fluids CATHETER a tube placed near the spinal cord and used for anesthesia (indwelling epidural) during surgery CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS) brain and spinal cord CEREBRAL TRAUMA damage to the brain CESSATION stopping CHD coronary heart disease CHEMOTHERAPY treatment of disease, usually cancer, by chemical agents CHRONIC continuing for a long time, ongoing CLINICAL pertaining to medical care CLINICAL TRIAL an experiment involving human subjects COMA unconscious state COMPLETE RESPONSE total disappearance of disease CONGENITAL present before birth CONJUNCTIVITIS redness and irritation of the thin membrane that covers the eye CONSOLIDATION PHASE treatment phase intended to make a remission permanent (follows induction phase) CONTROLLED TRIAL research study in which the experimental treatment or procedure is compared to a standard (control) treatment or procedure COOPERATIVE GROUP association of multiple institutions to perform clinical trials CORONARY related to the blood vessels that supply the heart, or to the heart itself CT SCAN (CAT) computerized series of x-rays (computerized tomography) CULTURE test for infection, or for organisms that could cause infection CUMULATIVE added together from the beginning CUTANEOUS relating to the skin CVA stroke (cerebrovascular accident)

DERMATOLOGIC pertaining to the skin DIASTOLIC lower number in a blood pressure reading DISTAL toward the end, away from the center of the body DIURETIC "water pill" or drug that causes increase in urination DOPPLER device using sound waves to diagnose or test DOUBLE BLIND study in which neither investigators nor subjects know what drug or treatment the subject is receiving DYSFUNCTION state of improper function DYSPLASIA abnormal cells

ECHOCARDIOGRAM sound wave test of the heart EDEMA excess fluid collecting in tissue EEG electric brain wave tracing (electroencephalogram) EFFICACY effectiveness ELECTROCARDIOGRAM electrical tracing of the heartbeat (ECG or EKG) ELECTROLYTE IMBALANCE an imbalance of minerals in the blood EMESIS vomiting EMPIRIC based on experience ENDOSCOPIC EXAMINATION viewing an internal part of the body with a lighted tube ENTERAL by way of the intestines EPIDURAL outside the spinal cord ERADICATE get rid of (such as disease) Page 2 of 7 EVALUATED, ASSESSED examined for a medical condition EXPEDITED REVIEW rapid review of a protocol by the IRB Chair without full committee approval, permitted with certain low-risk research studies EXTERNAL outside the body EXTRAVASATE to leak outside of a planned area, such as out of a blood vessel

FDA U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the branch of federal government that approves new drugs FIBROUS having many fibers, such as scar tissue FIBRILLATION irregular beat of the heart or other muscle

GENERAL ANESTHESIA pain prevention by giving drugs to cause loss of consciousness, as during surgery GESTATIONAL pertaining to pregnancy

HEMATOCRIT amount of red blood cells in the blood HEMATOMA a bruise, a black and blue mark HEMODYNAMIC MEASURING blood flow HEMOLYSIS breakdown in red blood cells HEPARIN LOCK needle placed in the arm with blood thinner to keep the blood from clotting HEPATOMA cancer or tumor of the liver HERITABLE DISEASE can be transmitted to one’s offspring, resulting in damage to future children HISTOPATHOLOGIC pertaining to the disease status of body tissues or cells HOLTER MONITOR a portable machine for recording heart beats HYPERCALCEMIA high blood calcium level HYPERKALEMIA high blood potassium level HYPERNATREMIA high blood sodium level HYPERTENSION high blood pressure HYPOCALCEMIA low blood calcium level HYPOKALEMIA low blood potassium level HYPONATREMIA low blood sodium level HYPOTENSION low blood pressure HYPOXEMIA a decrease of oxygen in the blood HYPOXIA a decrease of oxygen reaching body tissues HYSTERECTOMY surgical removal of the uterus, ovaries (female sex glands), or both uterus and ovaries

IATROGENIC caused by a physician or by treatment IDE investigational device exemption, the license to test an unapproved new medical device IDIOPATHIC of unknown cause IMMUNITY defense against, protection from IMMUNOGLOBIN a protein that makes antibodies IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE drug which works against the body's immune (protective) response, often used in transplantation and diseases caused by immune system malfunction IMMUNOTHERAPY giving of drugs to help the body's immune (protective) system; usually used to destroy cancer cells IMPAIRED FUNCTION abnormal function IMPLANTED placed in the body IND investigational new drug, the license to test an unapproved new drug INDUCTION PHASE beginning phase or stage of a treatment INDURATION hardening INDWELLING remaining in a given location, such as a catheter INFARCT death of tissue due to lack of blood supply INFECTIOUS DISEASE transmitted from one person to the next INFLAMMATION swelling that is generally painful, red, and warm INFUSION slow injection of a substance into the body, usually into the blood by means of a catheter INGESTION eating; taking by mouth INTERFERON drug which acts against viruses; antiviral agent INTERMITTENT occurring (regularly or irregularly) between two time points; repeatedly stopping, then starting again INTERNAL within the body INTERIOR inside of the body INTRAMUSCULAR into the muscle; within the muscle INTRAPERITONEAL into the abdominal cavity INTRATHECAL into the spinal fluid INTRAVENOUS (IV) through the vein INTRAVESICAL in the bladder INTUBATE the placement of a tube into the airway INVASIVE PROCEDURE puncturing, opening, or cutting the skin INVESTIGATIONAL NEW DRUG (IND) a new drug that has not been approved by the FDA INVESTIGATIONAL METHOD a treatment method which has not been proven to be beneficial or has not been accepted as standard care ISCHEMIA decreased oxygen in a tissue (usually because of decreased blood flow)

LAPAROTOMY surgical procedure in which an incision is made in the abdominal wall to enable a doctor to look at the organs inside LESION wound or injury; a diseased patch of skin LETHARGY sleepiness, tiredness LEUKOPENIA low white blood cell count LIPID fat LIPID CONTENT fat content in the blood LIPID PROFILE (PANEL) fat and cholesterol levels in the blood LOCAL ANESTHESIA creation of insensitivity to pain in a small, local area of the body, usually by injection of numbing drugs LOCALIZED restricted to one area, limited to one area LUMEN the cavity of an organ or tube (e.g., blood vessel) LYMPHANGIOGRAPHY an x-ray of the lymph nodes or tissues after injecting dye into lymph vessels (e.g., in feet) LYMPHOCYTE a type of white blood cell important in immunity (protection) against infection LYMPHOMA a cancer of the lymph nodes (or tissues)

MALAISE a vague feeling of bodily discomfort, feeling badly MALFUNCTION condition in which something is not functioning properly MALIGNANCY cancer or other progressively enlarging and spreading tumor, usually fatal if not successfully treated MEDULLABLASTOMA a type of brain tumor MEGALOBLASTOSIS change in red blood cells METABOLIZE process of breaking down substances in the cells to obtain energy METASTASIS spread of cancer cells from one part of the body to another METRONIDAZOLE drug used to treat infections caused by parasites (invading organisms that take up living in the body) or other causes of anaerobic infection (not requiring oxygen to survive) MI myocardial infarction, heart attack MINIMAL slight MINIMIZE reduce as much as possible Page 4 of 7 MONITOR check on; keep track of; watch carefully MOBILITY ease of movement MORBIDITY undesired result or complication MORTALITY death MOTILITY the ability to move MRI magnetic resonance imaging, diagnostic pictures of the inside of the body, created using magnetic rather than x-ray energy MUCOSA, MUCOUS MEMBRANE moist lining of digestive, respiratory, reproductive, and urinary tracts MYALGIA muscle aches MYOCARDIAL pertaining to the heart muscle MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION heart attack

NASOGASTRIC TUBE placed in the nose, reaching to the stomach NCI the National Cancer Institute NECROSIS death of tissue NEOPLASIA/NEOPLASM tumor, may be benign or malignant NEUROBLASTOMA a cancer of nerve tissue NEUROLOGICAL pertaining to the nervous system NEUTROPENIA decrease in the main part of the white blood cells NIH the National Institutes of Health NONINVASIVE not breaking, cutting, or entering the skin NOSOCOMIAL acquired in the hospital

OCCLUSION closing; blockage; obstruction ONCOLOGY the study of tumors or cancer OPHTHALMIC pertaining to the eye OPTIMAL best, most favorable or desirable ORAL ADMINISTRATION by mouth ORTHOPEDIC pertaining to the bones OSTEOPETROSIS rare bone disorder characterized by dense bone OSTEOPOROSIS softening of the bones OVARIES female sex glands

PARENTERAL given by injection PATENCY condition of being open PATHOGENESIS development of a disease or unhealthy condition PERCUTANEOUS through the skin PERIPHERAL not central PER OS (PO) by mouth PHARMACOKINETICS the study of the way the body absorbs, distributes, and gets rid of a drug PHASE I first phase of study of a new drug in humans to determine action, safety, and proper dosing PHASE II second phase of study of a new drug in humans, intended to gather information about safety and effectiveness of the drug for certain uses PHASE III large-scale studies to confirm and expand information on safety and effectiveness of new drug for certain uses, and to study common side effects PHASE IV studies done after the drug is approved by the FDA, especially to compare it to standard care or to try it for new uses PHLEBITIS irritation or inflammation of the vein PLACEBO an inactive substance; a pill/liquid that contains no medicine PLACEBO EFFECT improvement seen with giving subjects a placebo, though it contains no active drug/treatment PLATELETS small particles in the blood that help with clotting POTENTIAL possible POTENTIATE increase or multiply the effect of a drug or toxin (poison) by giving another drug or toxin at the same time (sometimes an unintentional result) POTENTIATOR an agent that helps another agent work better PRENATAL before birth PROPHYLAXIS a drug given to prevent disease or infection PER OS (PO) by mouth PRN as needed PROGNOSIS outlook, probable outcomes PRONE lying on the stomach PROSPECTIVE STUDY following patients forward in time PROSTHESIS artificial part, most often limbs, such as arms or legs PROTOCOL plan of study PROXIMAL closer to the center of the body, away from the end PULMONARY pertaining to the lungs

QD every day; daily QID four times a day

RADIATION THERAPY x-ray or cobalt treatment RANDOM by chance (like the flip of a coin) RANDOMIZATION chance selection RBC red blood cell RECOMBINANT formation of new combinations of genes RECONSTITUTION putting back together the original parts or elements RECUR happen again REFRACTORY not responding to treatment REGENERATION re-growth of a structure or of lost tissue REGIMEN pattern of giving treatment RELAPSE the return of a disease REMISSION disappearance of evidence of cancer or other disease RENAL pertaining to the kidneys REPLICABLE possible to duplicate RESECT remove or cut out surgically RETROSPECTIVE STUDY looking back over past experience

SARCOMA a type of cancer SEDATIVE a drug to calm or make less anxious SEMINOMA a type of testicular cancer (found in the male sex glands) SEQUENTIALLY in a row, in order SOMNOLENCE sleepiness SPIROMETER an instrument to measure the amount of air taken into and exhaled from the lungs STAGING an evaluation of the extent of the disease STANDARD OF CARE a treatment plan that the majority of the medical community would accept as appropriate STENOSIS narrowing of a duct, tube, or one of the blood vessels in the heart STOMATITIS mouth sores, inflammation of the mouth STRATIFY arrange in groups for analysis of results (e.g., stratify by age, sex, etc.) STUPOR stunned state in which it is difficult to get a response or the attention of the subject SUBCLAVIAN under the collarbone SUBCUTANEOUS under the skin SUPINE lying on the back SUPPORTIVE CARE general medical care aimed at symptoms, not intended to improve or cure underlying disease SYMPTOMATIC having symptoms SYNDROME a condition characterized by a set of symptoms SYSTOLIC top number in blood pressure; pressure during active contraction of the heart

TERATOGENIC capable of causing malformations in a fetus (developing baby still inside the mother’s body) TESTES/TESTICLES male sex glands THROMBOSIS clotting THROMBUS blood clot TID three times a day TITRATION a method for deciding on the strength of a drug or solution; gradually increasing the dose T-LYMPHOCYTES type of white blood cells TOPICAL on the surface TOPICAL ANESTHETIC applied to a certain area of the skin and reducing pain only in the area to which applied TOXICITY side effects or undesirable effects of a drug or treatment TRANSDERMAL through the skin TRANSIENTLY temporarily TRAUMA injury; wound TREADMILL walking machine used to test heart function

UPTAKE absorbing and taking in of a substance by living tissue

VALVULOPLASTY plastic repair of a valve, especially a heart valve VARICES enlarged veins VASOSPASM narrowing of the blood vessels VECTOR a carrier that can transmit disease-causing microorganisms (germs and viruses) VENIPUNCTURE needle stick, blood draw, entering the skin with a needle VERTICAL TRANSMISSION spread of disease

WBC white blood cell

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Elevating more women in leadership demands moving beyond good intentions.

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Julia Rafal-Baer , CEO and Founder, Women Leading Ed and ILO Group.

Despite decades of advocating for gender equality, leadership roles across sectors continue to be male-dominated.

From tech and finance to healthcare and manufacturing , those occupying top leadership posts are more often male. Even in fields like education , where the workforce is overwhelmingly female, men dominate state and school district CEO positions.

Male-dominated fields can be fraught with a culture that reinforces and replicates the underlying bias. Melinda French Gates, in a recent interview with Yahoo Finance, succinctly captured this dynamic: "I think you get these industries where, when over time they become very male-dominated, then the guys expect that everybody's going to act the way they act,” she said. “And when they don't see somebody leading or acting the way they are there, there's pushback.”

Addressing this imbalance and the culture that reinforces bias requires immediate action, systemic reforms and personal commitment from all stakeholders.

Best High-Yield Savings Accounts Of 2024

Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024, strategies for change.

More than just a matter of inequality, the gender gap in leadership can undermine the efficacy and impact of our institutions. That discrepancy diminishes the breadth of experience that makes its way into top positions and demands acknowledgment and urgent action.

1. Prioritizing Transparency And Measuring For Impact

Navigating to leadership is often fraught with systemic barriers. Women face more obstacles and fewer supports compared to their male counterparts. These barriers are deeply rooted in structural biases that require bold reforms. Institutional changes, such as measurable accountability, are crucial.

“What's measured is what counts ," Rhode Island Commissioner of Education Angélica Infante-Green noted in a recent panel I moderated at the ASU+GSV Summit—an annual gathering of education leaders and researchers as well as members of the tech and innovation communities. (Disclosure: Infante-Green is a board member for an organization I lead.)

Institutions must document progress and enforce transparency to effectively track advancements in gender diversity. Public commitments to increasing gender equality in leadership, along with transparent tracking of progress, can help drive real progress.

Setting voluntary targets for gender and racial diversity in leadership and senior management as well as the finalist pools for such positions, along with ongoing tracking of that work that is publicly available is a powerful combination.

Reporting on those key outputs can be complemented by transparency around key inputs, including conducting pay equity audits and the inclusion of salary ranges in job postings so that existing pay discrepancies are uncovered, and future compensation discrepancies are avoided.

2. Creating Intentional Systems Of Support

Essential to any success in addressing gender inequality in leadership is to be clear-eyed about the extent to which existing talent identification, hiring and promotion practices reflect and reinforce bias. A lack of women in top leadership roles sends powerful signals about what is possible in their own trajectories to students, educators and leaders.

Gathering diverse applicant pools for every search is a powerful starting point. According to a Harvard Business Review study published in 2016, a finalist pool with at least two women candidates increased the likelihood of a woman getting hired exponentially—79 times greater.

In order to support those leaders once they land those top jobs, providing family and well-being supports and a range of high-quality benefits is a must. Paternal leave, child care and eldercare time and benefits can sustain all leaders. Providing these benefits can help employers support greater gender equality in leadership and retain female employees at higher rates.

3. Encouraging Personal And Community Action

Systems and institutions are the aggregate actions and practices of real people. Ensuring that those doing the hiring and promoting are aware of and work to overcome their bias is also vital. Search firms, boards and leadership teams alike need to have the background and training to make addressing bias in these processes a top priority.

Successful leaders also have a real community of support—a network that propels them to do their best. In our panel discussion, Colorado Commissioner of Education Dr. Susana Córdova discussed the importance of such networks in providing leaders with the strategic vision and resilience to succeed: “You need to surround yourself with people who are going to see in you what you just can’t see in yourself. And that is what is so powerful about this network of women is they see the things [in me that] I just can't even see or recognize. And it is so important because that mindset piece is almost always what holds me back.” (Disclosure: Córdova is an advisory board member for my organization.)

Creating structured networking opportunities where women can grow in trust and relationships can power that mindset shift and get more women into CEO and C-suite positions across industries.

More than affinity groups, aim to create networks that provide both professional support and development resources that women need to excel in top positions. Women in such networks support their fellow women leaders and are, in turn, supporting themselves by growing their professional community. The combination is transformative for leadership journeys.

A Collective Call To Action

We need decisive and sustained action to close the gender leadership gap. By committing to these actions, we can dismantle the disparities that stifle progress and create environments where gender diversity is vigorously pursued.

Gender equality requires us to recognize the critical role of male allies in this effort. As we champion women’s rights, we must also be mindful of the challenges that men and boys face and emphasize the importance of working together and supporting one another. When women lead, our schools and communities can thrive.

Elevating more women in education leadership demands that we move beyond good intentions and implement both systemic and individual changes. Then, the leadership of our schools can truly reflect the full potential of our workforce and uphold the fundamental principle of opportunity in public education.

Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?

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Will Biden Withdraw?

Democratic worries about the president’s age have surged after thursday’s debate..

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

From “The New York Times,” I’m Natalie Kitroeff. This is “The Daily.”

[MUSIC PLAYING]

President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance last week set off a furious discussion among Democratic officials, donors, and strategists about whether and how to replace him as their party’s nominee. Today, chief White House correspondent Peter Baker takes us inside those discussions and Biden’s effort to shut that conversation down.

It’s Monday, July 1.

Peter, you’ve been reporting on what I think can be best described as the great Democratic freakout that started basically from the moment the debate began at 9:00 PM on Thursday night. Tell us about the aftermath.

Yeah, I’ve been covering politics for 38 years, and I’ve never seen a political panic like we saw after that debate. It was like a run on the bank. Everybody in the Democratic Party was suddenly confronted with what they didn’t want to admit up until then, which is that they have an 81-year-old candidate who would be 86 at the end of his second term. And it’s very possible that he was not capable of completing this campaign in a vigorous and competitive way against Donald Trump. That’s what really it comes down to for many Democrats. Can Joe Biden take the campaign to Donald Trump and stop what they think is an existential threat to the country?

I want to know more about who you were hearing from. Who are the people that are calling you? What are the big questions they’re asking? What are they struggling with?

Yeah, I don’t want to get into too many names. A lot of people don’t want to be out front. But you did see even publicly, people like Senator Claire McCaskill.

Joe Biden had one thing he had to do tonight and he didn’t do it.

The former Senator from Missouri, red state Democrat, was on MSNBC just minutes after the debate.

He had one thing he had to accomplish, and that was reassure America that he was up to the job at his age. And he failed at that tonight.

She talked about this was a crisis, that her phone was blowing up with a lot of Democrats. And she was very forthright about it. It was very striking that she said that.

I think there’s a lot of people who are going to want to see him consider taking a different course now,

People like van Jones, who was on CNN, he used to work in the Obama White House.

We’re still far from our convention. And there is time for this party to figure out a different way forward, if you will allow us to do that.

He very candidly talked about how this was going to raise questions about whether the President should continue as the candidate.

Some Democrats are calling for Biden to step down. Andrew Yang —

Andrew Yang, who ran against Biden in 2020 for the Democratic nomination, popular with some younger voters, he said on social media it was time for Biden to step aside. Those are some of the public people. And obviously, in the hours and days that followed, more came out and said, well, this is something we need to think about.

But the people I was talking to were people behind the scenes, people who have run White Houses before, people who work for President Biden in this administration. I heard words like, “He can’t win.” “This is a disaster.”

“This is a nightmare.” And they were very, very concerned that he could not beat Donald Trump.

Right. And you saw these really prominent media figures, outlets, “The Times” as an actor in this situation calling for Biden to step aside. Our editorial board did this. We should say this is entirely separate from our newsroom from the show, but there was this real crescendo. And there was a sense that this was a turning point, right?

Absolutely. But it’s not just the media. I think what the Biden campaign would like it to be is about the media. It’s just that the media tends to be more out front and say things more openly than Democrats were saying. It really was rank and file Democrats. It really was high ranking Democrats, and they were absolutely flipped out.

Right. These doubts are coming from all over, from many corners. Take me through, Peter, the argument for why this poor performance meant that Biden should be replaced. How do they explain that thinking?

Well, look, a lot of people who defended President Biden will say is that incumbent presidents don’t do well in their first debate, and that is true. Historically, that’s been true. Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump all lost, arguably, their first debate when they were running for re-election.

But the difference is, if Obama doesn’t register a good performance against Mitt Romney, first of all, nobody thought that Obama wasn’t capable of being president as a result. And second of all, he had another debate about a week or two later in order to try to recover. Neither of those factors works here.

Biden’s problem from this debate is much more existential. It’s much more profound because it’s about whether he is able to perform the office of president, not just for the next few months, but for the next 4 and 1/2 years. And there’s not going to be another debate until September. So he doesn’t have another big audience opportunity to change people’s minds, to show that, in fact, he does still have it and can run the country. And that’s a real problem for him.

And there’s this broader context here, right. Voters have been telling pollsters for a year now that Biden’s age is a major concern for them. We’ve seen Biden’s age before our very eyes. We’ve seen him stumble in speeches, in public appearances. And, Peter, we had talked to you about this very issue a few months ago after a special counsel investigating Biden’s son, Hunter, issued this report focusing on Biden’s mental state, in part, saying that the president was, quote, a “well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory” and had, quote, “diminished faculties in advancing age.”

But at the time, the White House dismissed that report as a partisan hit job. So in a sense, this debate performance was the capstone of something that’s been in the air for a very long time. It’s just that this time, it was undeniable. There was no spinning it.

Well, I think that’s exactly right. There was no spinning it. One Democrat put it to me. He said, for a long time, the fear of Trump stifled Democratic criticism of Biden. People didn’t want to criticize him because they desperately want to beat Trump.

But now, that same fear, he said to me, now meant that they could no longer stand behind Biden, that they worried that he had been diminishing over a period of time and that his staff and the people around him had hidden that from the public. There’s a real anger out there among some Democrats. Now, what the Biden circle would tell you is, no, we didn’t hide anything from you.

Yes, he does have moments where he is not as lucid as you would want him to be, but that, broadly speaking, when they see him operate, when they’re sitting with him in the Oval Office or in the situation room, he is sharp. He asks good questions. He understands and grasps the issues that he is confronting.

And I mean, we all have good days and bad days. But when you’re 81, your good days and bad days may be more pronounced.

And if he has good days and bad days, well, Thursday night was a very bad night.

Peter, I want to ask you about that, about your view on all of this, because I do think all this has raised this fundamental question for a lot of Democrats, for a lot of journalists, for voters, which is what you’re getting at. Was what we saw on the debate stage the real Biden? And had the White House been hiding him from us? Or were the people around him just unable to recognize the perils of this themselves? Like, have they been gaslighting us all, or are they in denial?

Yeah, it’s a good question. That’s the question in some ways, right. I think that people who work closely with the president and like him, admire him, respect him want to see the best in him and want everybody else to see the best in him. And they have been unwilling to admit whether or not he has slipped in the last 3 and 1/2 years.

And part of it may be strategic. They recognize in their view that he is the president. They’ve got to build him u and make him as successful as possible. And they have shielded him as much as possible from public scrutiny.

He hasn’t give as many interviews or as many press conferences as any of his predecessors going back to Reagan. He’s never getting interview to “The New York Times,” or “The Washington Post,” or “The Wall Street Journal,” or the “LA Times,” or any other newspaper, which is, I think, the first president, certainly in my lifetime, who hasn’t done that. And that’s been part of a pattern of them trying to protect him. And I think there’s kind of a reckoning right now among other Democrats, wondering whether they went too far.

OK. So we have this huge reaction to this moment, the debate from the Democrats in the news media. Can you walk us through how the Biden team responds to the full-blown panic?

His campaign was thrown into full-blown damage control over the weekend. And the President himself set out to do two things. First, privately, he met with donors and assured them, yes, he’s still a viable candidate and that they should still support him.

And then publicly, he went on a campaign blitz, traveling to seven events in four states. And his first stop on Friday, in fact, was at a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina.

[CROWD CHEERING]

Hello, hello, hello.

This was already scheduled before the debate, but it gave him an opportunity to both show that he can do the job —

Thank you, North Carolina.

— to demonstrate vigor and vitality —

I don’t know what you did last night, but I spent 90 days and 90 minutes on the stage debating the guy who has the morals of an alley cat.

— and to address his own performance.

I know I’m not a young man. State the obvious. Well, I know.

And he says pretty candidly, he says, yeah, I’m not a young man.

I don’t walk as easy as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to.

But he goes on.

Well, I know what I do know. I know how to tell the truth.

And I know how to tell right from wrong.

And I know how to do this job. I know how to get things done. And I know, like millions of Americans know, when you get knocked down, you get back up.

And, you know, he comes across as pretty vigorous, pretty energetic. Of course, he’s reading from a teleprompter. Always a lot easier to read from a teleprompter. But I think more important than that was the body language and the spirit that he brought to the moment.

It sounds like teleprompter, not the Biden who appears at the rally is meaningfully different, at least in style from the President that we saw on the debate stage. I’m wondering if you think this has changed anything. Has the conversation changed?

No, not fundamentally. I think fundamentally that people still recognize that there’s an issue here. Now, there was pushback among Democrats saying, OK, take a breath. Get a hold of yourself. He’s not dropping out.

I don’t think you judge a person’s — the body of their work on one night. They don’t always go the way you want to. I have confidence in the President because he’s delivered.

And I understand that he had a raspy voice. But like I’ve told folks, who cares? We have a choice this November between someone that’s a good person, a good president with a real record of results, and someone that has brought shame on the presidency.

Don’t let 90 minutes define a career of a president who’s been in office for 3 and 1/2 years, been in politics for 50 years, and overshadow the important issues that he stands for. And so you heard that line of thinking in the spin room and on TV.

Look, I think Joe Biden had a bad debate night, but it doesn’t change the fact that Donald Trump was a bad president.

And by the way, Trump did terribly, too, which is a fair point. Trump may have been more lucid in the sense that he sounded stronger. But if you actually looked at what he said, listen to what he said, he said so many things that were just not true. And it helped Biden that former President Barack Obama put out a statement saying, hey, guys, I’ve seen bad debates. It’s fine. Don’t freak out, in effect, is what he said.

And Jim Clyburn —

And if he asked my opinion, I would give it, as I always do —

— who is his very close ally in Congress from South Carolina, the Congressman who helped get him the nomination in the first place, said, stay the course.

He should stay in this race. He should demonstrate going forward his capacity to lead the country.

So it was important to have those voices out there among prominent Democrats trying to calm the waters. But it only went so far because the waters are still churning underneath.

Peter, I’m curious how his donors are reacting to all this. I mean, you mentioned that part of his full court press is to reassure them that he’s got the mental acuity to run. How successful has he been at that?

Yeah, I think that there are certainly some donors who are resigned. They feel like there’s not much choice. But there are others who actually are considering jumping off the boat. Jumping on what Mika Brzezinski on “Morning Joe” called the hysteria train. And I think that it’s an open question.

But part of the thing is, of course, they’re waiting to see how the polls really shake out. The initial polls after any debate are often not really representative of how an event settles into the political narrative. And the polling and data so far have been kind of contradictory. On the one hand, it shows that Trump clearly beat Biden. Biden clearly lost, and that Biden has only reinforced the doubts that most voters have about his age and mental capacity. That’s absolutely true.

At the same time, there’s some polling showing that the overall horse race number, who are you going to vote for, hasn’t moved dramatically yet, if it does at all, and that it’s possible this is baked in that people who were going to vote against him are still going to vote against him. The people who would vote for him, holding their nose, may not be happy about it, may still be voting for him.

But there’s a tell. The tell was from the Biden campaign. When they put out a memo by Jen O’Malley Dillon, who was his top political person at the campaign, and she says if you see polls go down in the next few days or weeks, what’s telling is that she is, in fact, anticipating that polls would be bad for them and trying to set expectations for supporters and voters and donors saying, don’t let that panic you any further. That’s normal, and we’ll get past that just as we have other bumps in the road.

It seems like the Biden effort over the weekend has, in some sense, quieted some public doubts from key Democrats, right? There’s not a — we didn’t see a deluge of senior lawmakers going on Sunday talk shows and saying, Mr. President, step aside. But from what you’re saying and based on the reporting that we’ve seen from our colleagues, the effort has not, by any means, ended the discussion about replacing Biden. That is very much still happening under the surface.

Yeah. That discussion is very much alive among Democrats. Will Biden and should Biden remain as the candidate? And the question then becomes is if he doesn’t, what then?

We’ll be right back.

Peter, given that this discussion of Biden stepping aside is still, as you said, very much alive, what would it look like for someone to replace him on the presidential ticket at this point in the campaign just a few months before election day? It sounds like it would be pretty daunting.

Yeah. I mean, look, we have never had a situation like this, not certainly in modern times. No president has ever dropped out of the race so late in the cycle. And you have to remember a couple of things.

First of all, the Democratic National Convention, which would anoint a new nominee, is in late August. But they’re actually scheduled to take a roll call vote before the convention begins on August 7. So that means we have five weeks between now and when the roll call is scheduled to be held to decide a nominee.

If the president were to drop out, that would create this truncated, incredibly intense, incredibly wide open, incredibly volatile, short campaign to figure out who would be the nominee. And it’s complicated logistically. It’s complicated politically, it’s complicated in all sorts of ways. And we don’t really know what’s going to happen or how it would happen because we’ve never seen it before.

But it is conceivable. It is possible. The President has to decide that he’s not going to run. If that doesn’t happen, then there’s no contest. There’s no way anybody sees a forcing him off the ballot if he chooses to continue to run. That doesn’t seem to be any appetite for trying to find a way to undo his nomination other than with his consent.

He controls the 3,900 delegates that are going to be at the convention. They’re obligated to vote for him on the first ballot. So it has to be first, his decision on whether he continues to run. If he does, then that’s it. That’s the end of that question. But if he doesn’t, then it’s jump ball.

Would his replacement automatically be Kamala Harris as the vice president?

No, not at all. If it were after the convention and they were both nominated, and then he stepped aside at the last minute, then they probably would simply go to Kamala Harris because she had been ratified by the convention as the vice presidential candidate. That’s possible. But if we’re talking about a situation before the convention, it’s anybody’s guess. There’s about a dozen other prominent Democrats out there who are looking at jumping in if suddenly, the nomination is up for grabs.

But so who are we talking about? What are some of the most prominent names that have come up?

Well, other than Kamala Harris, you have a number of governors, particularly Gavin Newsom of California, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, J.B. Pritzker of Illinois. There are, of course, those who ran last time who might jump back in, in theory. Senator Cory Booker, Senator Amy Klobuchar, potentially even maybe Pete Buttigieg, who is currently the transportation Secretary.

But the ones who are going to have the best chance are those who have an apparatus already, who have a set of donors and fundraisers who can raise money instantly, and who have the ability to get on TV and get media attention without having to work as hard for it. And that does suggest, obviously, a sitting vice president or a sitting governor.

Basically hitting reset on the whole nomination process requires embracing a moment of genuine political chaos. I mean, that’s the theoretical downside of this. But of course, I mean, there’s also a potential upside, right? Massive media attention potentially for whoever the replacement Democrat is, the possibility that that replacement could energize a lot of Democratic voters and independents, and even potentially moderate Republicans out there who dislike Trump but just couldn’t get excited about Biden.

Yeah, absolutely. Whoever emerges will have a certain advantage of freshness, right. And that person will have a generational argument to make against Trump because whoever it would be would be younger than Trump. And suddenly, Trump is then the old candidate. He’s 78.

And that new Democratic candidate would be able to say, I’m the next generation. This guy is also too old to be president. And if you’re concerned about our guy was, can he make it through four years, then you should be picking me because the other guy can’t make it either through four years.

Now, the downside, of course, is these are people who are largely untested on a national stage, at least in this kind of an environment. And you don’t know how people will do once they actually jump in. They didn’t have the advantage of a year-long primary contest to prove themselves.

Before you jump into a race, you can look really attractive. Look at Ron DeSantis. Before he jumped in to the Republican primaries, on the Republican side, they all thought, wow, he’s really great. Didn’t turn out to be so great once he got on the campaign trail. The magic didn’t actually appear. So that’s the danger here, is we don’t know which of these Democrats, if any, would have the ability to shine when the big giant klieg lights are on them.

And we’re clearly in a delicate moment right now. But are any of these potential contenders trying to signal interest at this point? I mean, what does that look like? It sort of seems like the art of raising your hand for something but not wanting it to publicly.

Yeah, it’s a really good question because you obviously can’t do anything that seems disloyal to Biden, right. Nobody’s willing to take on Biden directly and say, I’m now running, and you should take him down. So the trick here is you have to be loyal, loyal, loyal right up to the minute that Biden says he’s not running, at which point then suddenly you’re off to the races.

And doing that from a standing start is not a good idea for any campaign. So they have to find ways of talking to their people, lining up donors, thinking about what kind of a campaign would look like, who might be their strategist, without letting anybody know that they’re doing that, or at least not let anybody in our business know that because it would obviously backlash on them. And that’s a very hard thing to do. I mean, I heard that there are people out there making phone calls who want to run, but nobody’s going to admit that outright because it would be damaging to them.

And in terms of logistics here — I know this is all very hypothetical — but if a new candidate were to become the nominee, do they get all the money Biden raised? Do they get his campaign team, or are they literally creating a presidential campaign from scratch with four months to go?

I mean, presumably, they would adopt a lot of Biden’s apparatus. As for the money, a lot of the money these days is in kind of superpacs and these sort of amorphous structures that can go immediately to a different candidate. And everybody who contributed to Biden can now contribute to the new candidate. And then Biden can still spend his money as he chooses in support of whoever the candidate is.

So there’s that advantage in a way it could actually increase some fundraising. But you’re right, they would be starting from scratch in a lot of ways, at least in terms of a national organization.

And obviously, for this to even happen, it relies on Biden stepping aside here, as you said. Everything you’ve laid out so far suggests that he is, for now at least, closed off to this suggestion. And I have to ask what you think from your reporting would change that.

Well, President Biden is a proud man. He’s a stubborn man. As a lot of people of any age are, he is reluctant to confront and face his own weaknesses, and he’s not going to be talked out of running by a bunch of media chattering class, pundits, and junior Democrats. I mean, think about it. He’s been running for president since 1987. And the idea that he is now in office and running the country and as he thinks it, running it pretty well, that he’s going to simply step aside because a bunch of people tell him he should, he reacts viscerally to that. Of course, he doesn’t want to do that.

In fact, when you talk to Democrats, they’re very conscious of not trying to push him because it could have the opposite reaction. It could trigger him to want to stay even more. The people who have influence with him, not that many people.

I mean, at this point, he’s been in politics since 1972 when he was elected to the Senate. And the people he considers his peers, most of them are gone. He’s not surrounded by people whose opinion he truly respects.

Obama and Clinton, the only two former presidents out there other than Jimmy Carter, who are Democrats, I don’t know that if they told him it was time to pull the plug, that he would listen to that. In fact, he might, again, do the opposite. He still resents Obama for discouraging from running in 2016.

Obviously, congressional leaders like Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Hakeem Jeffries, Jim Clyburn, people like that, could have an influence if they were to go as a group to him in a way like the Republicans went to Nixon in 1974 and said that he wasn’t going to survive. Maybe that might influence him. But I don’t think they’re likely to do it. It doesn’t look like they’re likely to do that.

Who does have his ear? I mean, who does he really listen to? Who do we know he’s going to be listening to in this moment?

Well, the real people he listens to the most are his family. He’s a very family-oriented guy. Remember, he went home to Wilmington almost every night when he was a Senator. Even now as president, he flies home to Wilmington most every weekend.

And he’s at Camp David this weekend with his family. They’re there because they had already planned to be together for a photo shoot, ironically, with Annie Leibovitz. So the family was already gathering at Camp David —

— gives him an opportunity. Right. And it gives him an opportunity to have a heart-to-heart conversation with the people who mean the most to him, in particular, Jill Biden, of course, the first lady and his sister, Valerie, the kids, and the grandkids. We don’t know what that conversation looks like.

I mean, that’s as private as it comes. Someday they’ll be histories written and memoirs written. And I’m fascinated to read what’s happening this weekend at Camp David, because I think it’s kind of pivotal. But what we do know is that up until now, at least, Jill has been all in.

She’s been encouraging him to run. And it sounds like she’s been encouraging him to stay in. And a lot of people think her voice is the most important voice in this.

And just to pause on this for a second, Peter, it sounds like you’re saying something pretty remarkable, actually, which is that this very small handful of people have influence over what is going to be a massive decision that affects hundreds of millions of Americans and really the entire world.

Well, don’t underplay it. But yeah, that’s exactly right. And you’re right to point out the stakes here, because it’s not just about Joe Biden and his future. It is about this presidential race. And it is about whether you want Donald Trump back in office. That’s the way most Democrats look at it. And the difference between a Biden presidency and a Trump presidency is about as stark as you can imagine. And this will have consequences that will ripple out for years to come.

Peter, I kind of want to end where we began this conversation, which is with this question of Democrats’ mindset right now, post-debate, and the question of what’s motivating them in this moment. Privately, they’re talking about replacing Biden. They seem too scared to do that publicly for all the reasons we’ve discussed, including that the White House is basically telling them to stop talking about it and that Biden probably won’t step aside anyway. So all of this may just be useless hand-wringing.

And all of that raises a pretty essential question for me, which is, are Democrats about to recommit to a damaged nominee who had a disastrous debate, who may only get worse over time out of loyalty to President Biden? Or do you think on some level they really believe this is all just overblown, that it’s one debate, everybody has bad days, and Biden really can recover from all this?

I think there’s a lot of doubt in the party that he can really recover from. This is the argument obviously the Biden campaign is making. And it’s really the only argument they have available to them to say, look, don’t overreact here. It’s just the media hyperventilating. We will recover like we’ve recovered before.

And it is what they have to say because they don’t have anything else that they can say. But almost every Democrat outside of the inner circle that I talk to says this was a complete disaster. They are not sugarcoating it. They saw what they saw with their own eyes, and they think that it’s not tenable for the campaign to pretend otherwise.

And it’s particularly devastating because the weakness of the Biden campaign has always been concerns about his age. People have expressed that to pollsters and in interviews with reporters going back more than a year. And now they just saw it for themselves on TV, in their living rooms, more than 50 million of them. And to convince them not to believe what they saw with their own eyes is just a monumental task politically.

So for Biden’s team and for the Democrats, it’s a big roll of the dice. Do you stick with him and try to correct the damage in the four months you have? Or do you say, it’s time for somebody else, which is going to be a roll of the dice itself?

And assuming Biden continues, Peter, it sounds like we won’t know if that bet, that bet that he’s the only one that ever beat him. He’s the only guy that can get this done, if that was solid or diluted thinking until November 5.

On November 5, or whatever day of the election is resolved, we will know how history judges this. And maybe everybody looks back on this and says, well, that was close, but they were right to stick it out because they won. Or in fact, it was a disastrous decision, and they wasted an opportunity to fix campaign that was already having trouble. Hindsight will be perfect, but there’s no question that this weekend will be remembered as perhaps the most decisive of this campaign.

Peter, thanks for coming on.

Thanks for having me.

After we spoke with Peter, “The New York Times” reported that while at Camp David, Biden’s family urged the president to stay in the race, arguing that, yes, he could still show voters he’s capable of serving another four years.

Here’s what else you need to know today. Early projections show that France’s far-right national rally party won a decisive victory in the first round of voting for the country’s national assembly on Sunday. National rally, an anti-immigrant party long on the fringes of the French political scene, captured about a third of the vote, according to polls, and now appears poised to become the largest force in the lower house of parliament.

The results dealt a blow to French president Emmanuel Macron, who took a gamble by dissolving parliament last month and calling for snap elections. But his bet that the far right wouldn’t repeat its recent success in European parliament elections backfired. A run-off election between the leading parties will be held on July 7.

Today’s episode was produced by Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Will Reid, and Rob Szypko, with help from Olivia Natt and Lynsea Garrison. It was edited by Lexie Diao, with help from Ben Calhoun, Paige Cowett, and Mike Benoist. And special thanks to Michael Barbaro.

Contains original music by Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, and was engineered by Chris Wood. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly.

That’s it for “The Daily.” I’m Natalie Kitroeff. See you tomorrow.

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President Biden’s disastrous debate performance last week set off a furious discussion among Democratic officials, donors and strategists about whether and how to replace him as the party’s nominee.

Peter Baker, who is the chief White House correspondent for The Times, takes us inside those discussions and Biden’s effort to shut them down.

On today’s episode

Peter Baker , the chief White House correspondent for The New York Times.

Joe Biden is standing behind a podium against a black background. He is smiling and waving with his hand.

Background reading

President Biden’s allies can no longer wave away concerns about his capacity after his unsteady performance at Thursday’s debate.

Mr. Biden’s family is urging him to keep fighting .

There are a lot of ways to listen to The Daily. Here’s how.

We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode’s publication. You can find them at the top of the page.

Special thanks to Michael Barbaro .

The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Mike Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, John Ketchum, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Summer Thomad, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez and Brendan Klinkenberg.

Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Sofia Milan, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson, Nina Lassam and Nick Pitman.

Natalie Kitroeff is the Mexico City bureau chief for The Times, leading coverage of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. More about Natalie Kitroeff

Peter Baker is the chief White House correspondent for The Times. He has covered the last five presidents and sometimes writes analytical pieces that place presidents and their administrations in a larger context and historical framework. More about Peter Baker

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Leanne M. Dzubinski. March 02, 2022. bashta/Getty Images. Summary. New research examines gender bias within four industries with more female than male workers — law, higher education, faith ...
Comparison within gender and between female and male leaders in female
The ambition in the present case was to study gender-related aspects of self-reported leadership behaviors, based on an established leadership model and paying attention to different kinds of work environments. The aim was twofold: (1) to compare the self-rated leadership behaviors of women and men in female-dominated, male-dominated and mixed ...
PDF Women's Leadership and Participation
exclude many men as well. The eight case studies in this book drawn from around the world give rich, concrete insights into strategies for change in such situations - ones which effectively build women's leadership and participa-tion in economic, social and political spheres. They illustrate how women are
"Women in Leadership: A Comparative Case Study on Successful Leadership
Newcomb, Christine, "Women in Leadership: A Comparative Case Study on Successful Leadership" (2017). Honors College Theses. 29. The purpose of this report is to understand what makes a successful female leader. Since there are so few women in executive level positions, especially chief executive officer positions, I became interested in ...
(PDF) LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES: EXPERIENCES OF WOMEN LEADERS
The purpose of the study is to find out the challenges women experienced in reaching leadership positions. At the global level, according to the Global Gender Gap Report (2022), 33% of women hold ...
Medical Terms in Lay Language
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More Women In Leadership Demands Moving Beyond Good Intentions
According to a Harvard Business Review study published in 2016, a finalist pool with at least two women candidates increased the likelihood of a woman getting hired exponentially—79 times greater.
Will Biden Withdraw?
Obviously, congressional leaders like Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Hakeem Jeffries, Jim Clyburn, people like that, could have an influence if they were to go as a group to him in a way like the ...