In my research into authenticity and female leadership, I have heard claims that there is no longer a gender issue and that, in today’s workplace, men may in fact struggle more with authenticity than women.

Anecdotes aside, the research doesn’t seem to suggest that this is true.

So is authenticity actually more difficult for female leaders?

Authentic Leadership has gained huge popularity over the past 20 years. The idea is appealing: the best leaders are self-aware, values-led, emotionally intelligent and able to lead in a way that feels true to who they are.

But there is a problem. Much of the thinking around Authentic Leadership has been criticised for being idealistic and for paying insufficient attention to the different experiences of women and minority leaders.

Because being authentic does not happen in a vacuum. Leaders are judged by the people around them - and those judgements are shaped by expectations about what a leader should look and behave like, and what a woman should look and behave like.

That is where things start to get complicated.

Gender Norms

The key argument for authenticity being more difficult for female leaders draws on the interaction between expectations of leaders and expectations around gender norms.

Put simply, people have expectations about how leaders should behave, shaped in part by the people who have traditionally held those roles - predominantly men. As a result, employees often expect leaders to be firm, decisive, visionary and direct. Leaders who exhibit these traits will generally be rated as more competent.

Women are often associated more strongly with traditionally ‘feminine’ leadership behaviours, including empathy, relationship building, listening and conflict resolution. Women demonstrating these behaviours may therefore be viewed as authentic, but not necessarily as competent leaders.

This creates a ‘double bind’. Women who naturally prefer more traditionally ‘masculine’ leadership behaviours may not be perceived as authentic.

Women who naturally adopt more traditionally ‘feminine’ leadership behaviours may be seen as authentic, but not sufficiently competent or leader-like.

Men face fewer challenges in this respect because traditional male gender norms are more closely aligned with traditional leadership norms.

Punishment for Being Who You Are

Gender norm expectations can also work against women who are naturally competitive, direct and assertive.

This can be seen in the case of Ann Hopkins, an employee at Price Waterhouse who was denied partnership. Hopkins exhibited many of the same behaviours as her male peers and significantly over-delivered in areas including billable hours and new client acquisition. She was considered a high achiever with a strong work ethic.

However, she was also criticised for her appearance and her style of interaction. Behaviours that were considered appropriate, or even desirable, in men were viewed differently when demonstrated by a woman.

Hopkins was being authentic. She was also competent. Yet she was denied promotion in part because her behaviour did not fit expectations of how a woman should behave.

It is perhaps no surprise, then, that women working in male-dominated environments such as professional services and advertising have been shown to adapt their behaviour in order to ‘fit in’ with male colleagues. This can include playing down their femininity, limiting maternity breaks and adopting more aggressive styles of behaviour.

Similarity

Authentic Leadership is not just about the leader’s behaviour. It is an interaction between leaders and followers.

Authenticity is ultimately judged by the people around the leader, and our ability to judge someone else’s authenticity appears to be influenced by how similar we perceive them to be to ourselves. Male followers tend to rate male leaders as more authentic, while female followers tend to rate female leaders as more authentic.

This creates another potential barrier for women working in male-dominated environments. They are not only navigating the challenge of behaving authentically within conflicting expectations; they may also be less likely to be perceived as authentic by the people around them.

Perhaps the most useful question is not simply whether female leaders find authenticity more difficult, but what expectations are shaping the way we judge authenticity in the first place.

When you think about the leaders you see as credible, competent or authentic, what behaviours are you rewarding? And how much of that judgement is influenced by your assumptions about what a leader should look and sound like?

For female leaders, there is another question too: where are you adapting in order to fit expectations, and where might that adaptation be taking you further away from who you actually are?

References

Tibbs, S., Green, M. T., Gergen, E., & Montoya, J. A. (2016). If you are like me, I think you are more authentic: An analysis of the interaction of follower and leader gender. Administrative Issues Journal, 6(1), 12.

Eagly, A. H. (2005). Achieving relational authenticity in leadership: Does gender matter? The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 459-474.

Howard, L. (2024). Authenticity and woman’s leadership: a qualitative study of professional business services in the UK. Journal of Work-Applied Management.

Liu, H., Cutcher, L., & Grant, D. (2015). Doing authenticity: The gendered construction of authentic leadership. Gender, Work & Organization, 22(3), 237-255.

Thompson-Whiteside, H., Turnbull, S., & Howe-Walsh, L. (2018). Developing an authentic personal brand using impression management behaviours: Exploring female entrepreneurs’ experiences. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 21(2), 166-181.