Women are increasingly tasked with responsibility in the workplace - leading teams, managing projects, and delivering results - but often without the authority that should accompany those roles. Despite women making up 47% of the workforce (ONS), they remain underrepresented in senior leadership positions, with only 28% of C-suite roles held by women (LeanIn.Org).

Responsibility Without Authority

Women are frequently in middle-management roles, shouldering significant responsibility but lacking decision-making power. Studies show that:

• 65% of women are expected to take on “office housework,” which is rarely valued in promotions (McKinsey, 2023)
• 70% of women in middle management report having less influence over company strategy than their male peers (Chartered Management Institute)

This discrepancy keeps many women on a “glass cliff,” tasked with solving problems but not empowered to prevent them.

When Influence Is Unequal, Impact Suffers

Women are often excluded from critical decision-making processes. As one woman executive shared, “I was leading the regional team but not invited to budget meetings or strategy discussions” (Fawcett Society).

This lack of authority leads to:

• Lower job satisfaction and higher burnout for women managers
• 1 in 3 women considering leaving their jobs due to lack of opportunities (McKinsey, 2023)
• Companies with gender-diverse leadership teams are 25% more likely to be profitable (McKinsey, 2020)

Structural Biases That Hold Women Back

Systemic obstacles such as bias in performance evaluations and the lack of sponsorship opportunities often prevent women from gaining decision-making authority:

• Women are penalised for being “too assertive” or “not assertive enough”
• Only 23% of women have access to influential sponsors (Harvard Business Review)
• Informal networks tend to favour men, leaving women overlooked despite strong performance

Why Businesses Should Care

When women are held responsible without authority, businesses lose innovation, engagement, and top talent. Women bring essential leadership qualities that can drive company success, but without decision-making power, those strengths are underutilised.

Closing the Power Gap

To close the power gap, businesses must:

• Redefine leadership metrics to value inclusive contributions
• Create structured sponsorship programs to connect women to decision-makers
• Audit processes for bias in promotions and assignments
• Ensure women’s inclusion in strategy-setting and board discussions