The Female CEO Reputation Premium? Differences and Similarities 

This survey of more than 1,700 senior executives worldwide indicates that when women have a highly-regarded female CEO as a role model, they are more likely to stay at their companies and more motivated to strive to rise to the top themselves. It also finds that corporate and CEO reputations are largely gender-blind when it comes to contributing to overall company reputation and market value, and major differences between male and female CEOs leadership qualities are surprisingly few.

 

The analysis shows that the reputational “premium” for female CEOs is a heightened responsibility to inspire future generations to rise to the highest corporate ranks. Female CEOs have a positive impact on breaking the glass ceiling and inspiring the next generation of women executives to do the same.

 

The research reveals that relatively few global senior executives — 29 percent — have the desire to lead large companies and women executives with an interest in the CEO position are especially in short supply, as they are significantly less likely than their male peers to want to be chief executive one day (23 percent vs. 32 percent, respectively). Yet when female executives work for a female CEO, women’s interest climbs to 29 percent.

 

The Female CEO Reputation study also finds that good CEO reputations matter more to women. Female executives are significantly more likely than male executives to say that their CEOs’ reputations influence them to stay at their companies (64 percent vs. 54 percent). According to the research, women who do aspire to be CEOs are more likely than their male counterparts to be Millennials. The report explains this may be because Millennials are less likely than other females to have hit glass ceilings or to have faced gender discrimination, if only because of the brevity of their experience in the workforce.

 

Click here to view our full report and view our presentation below for key findings from the study.