Study: Women Want Systemic Fixes, Not Confidence Training
Professional women are looking for structural change, not more confidence training, according to new research from Lean In Canada. Released ahead of International Women’s Day, the report argues that the path to career potential runs through systemic solutions rather than individual coaching.
The focus on "fixing women" through confidence coaching overlooks the data: in Canada, women earn about 87 cents for every dollar earned by a man, a gap that is even wider for racialized and Indigenous women. This disparity persists despite women now holding 43.4% of leadership roles, a figure that is down from a peak of 50.9% in 2022, indicating a shrinking leadership pipeline. Lean In Canada's research, based on over 450 professional women, calls for concrete changes to workplace structures, not mindset adjustments. The study highlights that women are often burdened with "invisible work," such as organizing events or leading committees, which is crucial for team cohesion but is rarely valued or recognized in performance reviews or promotion decisions. The critique of confidence training is that it individualizes systemic issues, suggesting women are deficient rather than the workplace structures they navigate. Research has shown that this approach can backfire, leading to self-doubt when individual efforts don't overcome systemic barriers. This places the burden of change on the individual rather than on the organization. Instead of coaching, the report points to structural solutions. These include creating supportive networks for women undergoing career transitions, especially between the ages of 30 and 44, and building leadership programs that adapt to different career stages. Nearly 60% of women surveyed also prioritized leadership initiatives anchored in lived experience and identity from the outset. For companies, systemic fixes involve tangible actions like implementing pay transparency, auditing promotion and hiring processes for bias, and offering flexible work arrangements. It also means establishing formal mentorship and sponsorship programs to ensure women have clear pathways to leadership, addressing the reality that only 31% of entry-level women have a sponsor, compared to 45% of men. Progress in female representation on corporate boards in Canada has been slow, increasing from 11% to just 29% over the last decade. The advancement to executive officer and C-suite positions is even slower, highlighting a persistent bottleneck at the highest levels of leadership. This structural lag underscores the call for systemic, not individual, solutions.
