Where Women’s Leadership Development Programs Fall Short

The demand for and number of women’s leadership development programs has exploded in recent years. These programs offer important opportunities for women to become better equipped for the challenges of senior leadership roles and tackling gender bias and its associated barriers. However, when deployed in the absence of any broader effort to advance women and without accountability from managers and leaders, it can signal that women are deficient and need fixing, or that the underrepresentation of women in senior leadership positions is a result of their inability to compete with men. Sending only women to gender-specific leadership programs amplifies gender stereotypes. These programs can also become yet another gender tax for women. Finally, there is a risk that sending women to WLDPs becomes a form of superficial or performative allyship.