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Breaking Barriers, Not Stereotypes: The Unspoken Challenges of Women in Leadership
It was 2001. My boss, Julia Ross, was the CEO of the ASX-listed global company Ross Human Directions. The most significant detail? Julia was a ‘she’. As someone who had worked my way up to a senior role reporting directly to her, I was proud to be part of her journey. Yet, the world around us had yet to fully acknowledge the magnitude of her achievements.
On a Friday morning, as we sat in the office, Julia casually recounted an incident from the previous night. After an exhausting day managing a company with 20 offices across Australia and an additional seven in London, Dublin, Hong Kong, Singapore, and New Zealand—not to mention 500 employees and over $350 million in revenue—she arrived home only to be met with a familiar and frustrating statement from her long-term partner:
“Honey, there’s no milk in the fridge.”
The unspoken expectation? That before she could rest, she should rush out and buy some. Because, despite being a CEO, managing relentless shareholders and a demanding board, running a high-stakes global business, she was still expected to oversee household essentials.
At the time, I didn’t fully grasp the weight of that moment. I remember thinking, Maybe she could have picked up the milk on the way home. Today, I cringe at that thought. It wasn’t about the milk. It was about the underlying assumption that, no matter how high she climbed, her professional success was secondary to her ‘real’ responsibilities at home. This was gender bias—so ingrained, so insidious, that it didn’t even register as a problem.
The Unseen Struggles of Female CEOs
The statistics make it clear: Julia’s achievement was nothing short of extraordinary. In 1995, 0% of CEOs in Fortune 500 companies were women. By June 2023, that number had barely improved, with just 10.4% of Fortune 500 companies led by women, many of whom had been appointed within the past year. In Australia, only 10.5% of ASX 200 leaders were women in 2023, and in 2015, women represented a mere 4.2% of ASX-listed CEOs.
Julia’s success wasn’t just remarkable—it was historic. Yet, societal expectations continued to diminish the weight of her accomplishments.
A Deeply Rooted Problem
Reflecting on that moment, I realized I, too, had been shaped by societal norms that dictated what a woman’s role should be. Despite my drive and ambition, I had been conditioned to overlook the discrimination that female leaders like Julia faced daily. I had yet to experience the same uphill battle. My time would come.
The Gender Bias No One Talks About
Women in leadership constantly battle deeply ingrained biases—many of which aren’t even intentional. They are more likely to be questioned, undermined, or perceived as ‘cute’ rather than capable. Here are some surprising and unsettling facts about gender discrimination:
Women are 47% more likely to suffer severe injuries in car crashes because vehicle safety features are designed primarily for men.
In the workplace, women are twice as likely to be mistaken for junior employees compared to men.
Only six countries in the world grant women legal work rights equal to men’s.
A 2017 study by The Rockefeller Foundation found that 25% of Americans believe we will colonize Mars before half of Fortune 500 CEOs are women.
According to the OECD, women spend more than 2.5 times as much time on unpaid care and domestic work as men.
The Road Ahead
Julia’s story is not unique—it is the reality for countless women in leadership. Their successes are often overshadowed by outdated expectations. While we celebrate the progress women have made in business, we must also acknowledge the persistent challenges they face.
The next time you meet a female CEO, think before you speak. Avoid comments that diminish her achievements or suggest that she still has a ‘primary’ role outside of work. Women in leadership don’t need validation for their ability to run companies—they need a world that recognizes their success without questioning it.
It’s time to break the cycle of unconscious bias and create a workplace—and a world—where female CEOs are seen for what they truly are: leaders, visionaries, and changemakers.
