Continued mentorship and networking support likely to boost leadership ambitions of women: Study

NEW DELHI: About 73% of emerging women leaders in the social sector believe that continued mentorship and networking support would boost their leadership ambitions, according to findings of a survey conducted by India Leaders for Social Sector (ILSS).
50% of women leaders have imposter syndrome, according to the survey. "Phenomena such as this are a critical contributor to the ‘leaky pipeline’ we see, which is a disproportionate lack of women leaders at levels of senior management in the sector, relative to the number of women in entry-to-mid level roles," the report said.
There is a predominance of women in program specific roles, as opposed to strategic and organization building roles."These roles are often relegated to women, as they are perceived as more suitable to be doing ‘care work’ of this sort. In this, women are less likely to be selected for overarching management roles, including in the spheres of fundraising, strategic management, and operations," it said.
There is a need for support structures that can be implemented to support women’s leadership journeys, the report noted. "A [key want] is the knowledge of leadership frameworks which specifically speak to their journey’s, as mid-to-senior career women professionals in the social impact space, and guidance on adapting it to their career path," it said.
There is a desire for building crucial cross-functional/management skills, including negotiation, conflict management and effective communication.
76% of respondents believe they would benefit from having access to a network of like-minded women impact leaders. Building pathways to match emerging women leaders with senior women leaders may play a crucial role in supporting their leadership journeys, according to 85% of respondents.
“The ‘emerging women’s leadership in the Indian development sector’ study highlights the unique challenges that women grapple with and proposes solutions to reduce the current gap in leadership positions in the social sector. We, at ILSS, believe that this study is an important step to build conducive pathways for more women professionals to reach leadership positions, and for social sector organizations to emerge as spaces where we see inclusive leadership thrive,” says Anu Prasad, founder & CEO, ILSS.