I just returned from a meeting of leaders who, for a week, took me from Brazil and put me in contact with cultures and challenges from several other countries. Experience has reinforced a conviction: although female leadership in Brazil has its particularities, the major obstacles we face are, in essence, global, either in the market or in the issues intrinsic to our journey as women in decision -making positions.
The first global challenge is that women remain under-displayed at the highest levels of decision. Recent data show that it is not enough will, it takes strategy and structured policies to change this picture. The slowness of advancement is, in fact, a challenge meaning everywhere.
Grant Thornton (Research Women in Business 2024) points out that, at the current pace, equity in leadership positions in Mid-Market will only be achieved globally in 2053. In Brazil, study data State of Women in Leadershipproduced by the LinkedIn platform, reveal that although women represent 45% of the country’s total workforce, the number of women drops in 17% of management position to board, and 21% of board for vice presidency.
I had the opportunity to talk to Merz Aesthetics presidents of Russia and Italy, and it was remarkable how we share several challenges, either in the market or in the intrinsic issues of our journey as women in leadership positions. Questioning in the competence or female authority. Pressure to adapt to “male” leadership behaviors, even if this is not natural. Difficult balance between being assertive and being perceived as “pleasant”, a phenomenon known as double bind.
These moments of exchange are essential. They remind us that the support network and inspiration in the trajectories of other women are vital to our resilience and for the advancement of equity. After all, no challenge is individual. Each experience reflects broader social issues.
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Daniel Pink author of work, management, and behavioral science led a moment of this leadership meeting and brought crucial reflection on how society sees vulnerability and strength in men and women.
A man can navigate well between the poles of showing himself vulnerable and being firm or strong, and this is accepted. For women, the dynamics is very different. When we express vulnerability, we risk being seen as fragile or incompetent. On the other hand, if we are firm and assertive, we are labeled as bossy or excessively ambitious. It is a double penalty: being punished for being human (vulnerable) and being competent (firm). A giant disadvantage that studies prove to exist.
The exchange with other cultures then becomes very important. It allows us to understand that these insecurities are not individual or unique to our country; They are of all. As we shared, we realize that we are not alone in the complex task of balancing strength with authenticity. Inspiring yourself in the course of global colleagues can be the fuel that drives resilience and the search for a more equitable environment for all of us.
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But these conversations and connections, no matter how valuable as they are, cannot just be exchange spaces.
The challenges we share require a global action agenda: structured policies that promote equity, corporate environments that recognize and support female leadership, and mentoring networks that strengthen the next generation.
The learning of course: It is not enough to recognize barriers, it is necessary to schedule concrete changes, create metrics of progress, take institutional and cultural responsibility. Each woman who occupies a leadership position today has the power to make way, not just for themselves, but for all who will come later.
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The future of female leadership depends on the courage to act collectively. Turning inspiration into strategy, vulnerability into strength, and dialogues into tangible changes. Equity is not just a long -term goal; It is a commitment that each of us can start to realize today.
