Women in Decision Making

It’s truly unfortunate that up until this day and age, misconceptions and double standards still persist when it comes to how women make decisions and how effective they are as compared to men. While there’s no particular way to measure and improve one’s effectiveness around decision-making, promoting inclusivity is always key. Make sure that women are just as involved and included in the process.

Here are some misconceptions around women’s participation in the decision making process and how to break through from it.



1. Women don’t work well under pressure.
This far too common perception is that women tend to get emotional and fall apart when under pressure. Although it’s generally true that women are more emotional than men, it does not mean that they don’t work well under pressure. Research shows that women’s brains are more efficient at handling the stress hormone cortisol than men’s brains. They tend to make more unique and low-risk decisions when under pressure while men are typically more focussed on big wins thus making higher-risk decisions. Thus, it’s important to have both men and women to counterbalance each other when making decisions.

2. Women are risk-averse.
Women are often labelled as risk-averse though research actually reveals the complete opposite. In the workspace environment especially, women are deemed to lack self-confidence, have a fear of failure or simply unambitious. They often find themselves trapped in a double bind – To take risks and be perceived as clumsy and careless; or to be conservative and be perceived as ineffective and inexperienced. Truth is as humans, we can never satisfy everyone. Know your self worth and strength and use it to your advantage. Having diversity in leadership translates to success so it’s imperative to bring different skills to the decision-making table.

3. Cooperative decision making doesn’t work.
Yet another common misconception people have is that women aren’t independent and are often considered weak or indecisive when they include others in the decision making process. This is quite a subjective topic though research actually shows that men usually jump straight into spotting any loopholes or weaknesses while women seek a common ground beforehand. They find a creative solution by listening to everyone’s ideas and opinions before making a final decision. Doing this is in fact more effective as stronger relationships can be built by taking into account the opinions and interests of those involved.