TEDx Talks - How To Shape the Next Generation of Female Leaders in 4 Steps | Gaëlle Deschamps | TEDxVezins
The speaker highlights the significant gender gap in leadership, noting it will take 134 years to close if current trends continue. She emphasizes the need to address this issue from adolescence, as many girls opt out of leadership roles due to societal pressures and lack of representation. The speaker shares her experience working with women and stresses the importance of instilling leadership qualities in girls early on. She debunks myths about leadership being innate or age-related, citing examples like Malala Yousafzai and Iris Apfel to show leadership can be developed at any age. Practical steps for parents include leading by example, encouraging leadership qualities, asking questions, and redefining leadership to be more inclusive. The speaker calls for a collective effort to inspire the next generation of female leaders, which could significantly boost the global economy.
Key Points:
- The gender leadership gap will take 134 years to close without intervention.
- Girls' willingness to lead drops by 39% during adolescence due to societal pressures.
- Leadership is not innate; it can be taught and developed at any age.
- Parents play a crucial role in nurturing leadership qualities in their daughters.
- Redefining leadership to be more inclusive can double the number of girls aspiring to lead.
Details:
1. 🔍 Introduction: Mind the Gap and Gender Gap
- The phrase 'mind the gap,' familiar to London Underground commuters, signifies both safety and cultural awareness.
- For long-term London residents, it holds iconic status, symbolizing mindfulness in everyday life.
- The discussion extends this concept of 'minding the gap' to address gender disparities, urging awareness and action.
- The speaker's 25 years in London provides a personal context, emphasizing the phrase's significance and its extended metaphorical use in gender equality discussions.
2. 🌍 The Global Gender Gap
- The Global Gender Gap is projected to take 134 years to close, according to the World Economic Forum, which is a significant timeframe equivalent to five generations.
- This slow progress highlights the need for accelerated efforts and strategic interventions to address gender parity.
- The gap persists due to systemic barriers, including unequal access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities, as well as cultural norms and biases.
- Countries need to implement targeted policies, such as promoting women's participation in STEM fields, enhancing maternity and paternity leave, and addressing pay disparities.
- Examining successful gender parity initiatives in countries like Iceland and Rwanda can provide valuable lessons and models for other nations.
- Investing in education and leadership training for women and girls is crucial to bridging the gap more quickly.
3. 👩💼 Empowering Women in Leadership
- The speaker has aided over a thousand women in realizing their potential and voicing their leadership capabilities over a 25-year career.
- As a leadership trainer and confidence coach, the speaker has played a crucial role in fostering confident and authentic female leaders.
- Programs designed by the speaker encourage women to proactively seek pay raises and promotions, significantly impacting their professional advancement.
- Support systems are in place for women returning to the workforce post-maternity leave, facilitating seamless career progression.
- The strategy emphasizes addressing both immediate and systemic challenges in corporate environments to support women's leadership growth.
4. 🧒 Adolescence and Leadership Challenges
- The problem of declining leadership ambition in girls begins in adolescence, with many opting out of future leadership roles.
- Research published in the Oxford Economic Journal indicates a 39% drop in leadership willingness among girls from childhood to adolescence.
- The decline in leadership ambition during adolescence presents a significant challenge for fostering future female leaders.
- Potential causes for this decline include societal expectations, lack of role models, and gender stereotypes.
- Addressing these issues requires targeted interventions in education and mentorship programs to encourage leadership in young girls.
5. 🔄 Understanding Gender-Specific Issues
- 39% decrease in self-esteem and confidence among girls during puberty, driven by hormonal changes and societal perceptions.
- Hormonal changes lead to increased self-consciousness, making girls reluctant to take on leadership roles.
- Negative societal perceptions of leadership, such as being loud or seeming perfect, discourage girls from aspiring to these roles.
- Boys maintain their willingness to lead, highlighting the gender-specific nature of this issue.
- Initiatives are needed to empower teenage girls to aspire to leadership roles, with examples like mentorship programs that provide role models and leadership training.
6. 📈 The Importance of Raising Female Leaders
6.1. Economic Impact of Female Leadership
6.2. Social and Leadership Benefits
7. 👨👩👧👦 Role of Parents and Society
- Leadership is not currently part of most secondary school curriculums, indicating a gap in formal education for leadership skills.
- The creation and implementation of a female leadership curriculum at a local school are underway, with plans to use it as a blueprint for broader adoption.
- Encouraging young girls to engage in leadership and entrepreneurship can be achieved by making these activities appealing and socially rewarding.
- There is an opportunity for parents and society to foster environments where girls collaborate on initiatives that benefit their communities, such as starting businesses to fund education costs.
- Relying on future employers for leadership development is not ideal, as many girls might opt-out of leadership before entering the workforce.
8. 🧗♀️ Debunking Leadership Myths
8.1. Role of Corporate and Entrepreneurs
8.2. Parental Influence
8.3. Leadership Skills Development
8.4. Age and Leadership
9. 👩👧 Leading by Example: Personal Stories
- Leading by example is crucial in developing leadership qualities in others, particularly daughters, by showing them strong, resilient, and positive role models.
- The speaker's mother served as a key role model, demonstrating strength, passion, and generosity, and dedicating her life to improving girls' education.
- A specific example included the mother purchasing and renovating a dilapidated flat without external help, teaching lessons in self-reliance and investment, which later inspired similar actions in the speaker's life.
- Key lessons learned include the importance of taking calculated risks, the value of action in building confidence, and the significance of having a shared vision over possessing all necessary skills from the start.
- The speaker emphasizes the importance of stepping outside comfort zones as a means of gaining experience and fostering family bonds.
- Promoting diverse female leadership examples can help daughters understand that leadership comes in various forms and styles, encouraging them to embrace their unique leadership identities.
- The narrative suggests that these leadership seeds, once planted, can grow and be passed down through generations, potentially closing gender gaps in leadership within five generations.
10. 📚 Encouraging Leadership Qualities
10.1. Everyday Opportunities for Leadership Development
10.2. Formal Opportunities for Leadership Development
11. ❓ Engaging in Leadership Conversations
11.1. Effective Questions for Leadership Conversations
11.2. Benefits of Leadership Conversations
12. 🔍 Defining New Leadership Norms
- A new, broader, and more inclusive definition of leadership is required to encourage more girls and women to identify as leaders and pursue leadership opportunities.
- The new leadership definition moves away from alpha-loaded concepts like ego, power, and domination towards a more generous and humane approach focused on sharing a vision and inspiring others towards a common goal.
- Examples of the new leadership definition include having ideas, implementing projects that improve people, places, and the planet, and advocating for traditionally marginalized minorities.
- Research with Jersey College for Girls showed that redefining leadership in this way can increase the number of girls aspiring to be leaders from 40.6% to 84%.
13. 🌟 Conclusion: Shaping Future Female Leaders
- Unlocking a $1 trillion opportunity for the global economy by shaping the next generation of female leaders.
- Lead by example and encourage leadership qualities in young females.
- Redefine leadership in a broader, more inclusive way to support female leaders.
- Empowerment of female leaders is essential for future economic growth.