According to a study, the evaluation criterion "potential" in particular ensures that women are promoted less frequently than men.
It is not new that women are often still paid less than men and are also much less likely to be in management positions.
However, US researchers have now examined promotion scenarios in a new study and found that women in companies perform significantly worse than men, especially in the evaluation criterion "potential".
US study on gender-based promotion discrimination published
Danielle Li from MIT, Kelly Shue from Yale and Alan Benson from the University of Minnesota analyzed data from approximately 30,000 executives of a US retail chain between 2011 and 2015 and have now published the study results "'Potential' and the Gender Promotion Gap".
The analysis includes assessments of performance that may have led to promotions, and two important results stand out in particular:
The performance of women is rated significantly better than that of men.
Nevertheless, women are much less likely to be promoted than male colleagues.
But why is that?
The scientists attribute this primarily to the evaluation criterion “potential”.
+
According to a study, women are underestimated even though they perform better - and are therefore promoted less often than men.
© Joseffson/Imago
Study: Evaluation criteria of the examined company - performance vs. potential
Although seven percent more women than men received the best possible rating for the “performance” criterion, 13 percent more men than women were promoted.
The researchers see the reason for this in the “potential” category.
This means the subjective assessment of how the employee could develop in the future.
28 percent more men than women were rated very highly.
Actual performance and external assessments of the potential that could unfold in the future therefore do not go hand in hand in the company examined.
Despite the fact that female employees perform better, they are rated worse than their male colleagues, and are therefore underestimated and promoted less often.
Don't miss anything: You can find everything about careers in the regular career newsletter from our partner Merkur.de
The result of the study: Supervisors want to keep high-performing employees in their own team
It may be understandable that one likes to have good people on a team - at times it can also be useful to work with people who are very different from oneself, but for those affected it is a hindrance on the career ladder.
According to the scientists, however, the company examined sees the man as a good manager and the woman as a high-performing employee in a very patriarchal way, which one likes to have in the team, but please not as a supervisor.
This also raises the question: can a boss be too nice?
Ten things that will immediately disqualify you in a job interview
Ten things that will immediately disqualify you in a job interview
What has to change so that women are no longer rated worse and are promoted more often instead
Companies need to realize that outdated, patriarchal corporate philosophies are no longer up-to-date if they don't want to risk losing high-performing female employees to the competition.
After all, why should a very good worker stay with a company that does not reward performance with a promotion and instead prefers male colleagues who are less efficient.
Such evaluation criteria should be well thought out in the future, because ultimately the company itself is harmed if poorly qualified personnel sit in the executive chair.
Rubric list image: © Joseffson/Imago
