London, Feb 10 (IANS) Leadership positions in business have proven to be precarious for women. Female business leaders are more likely to be appointed to powerful leadership positions when an organisation is in crisis or high-risk circumstances.
Michelle Ryan, associate professor in psychology at the University of Exeter, who researched the subject, proposes that this scenario of “the glass cliff” extends to the political arena.

During the Britain 2005 general election, the seats Conservative party female candidates were vying for were considered virtually “unwinnable”, and the results were more likely to favour the male Labour party candidates.

The reasons behind voter behaviour and business appointments are difficult to pinpoint and controversial.

Ryan proposes that at the root of the issue is the perception that women are less competent than males, despite evidence that women have broken through “the glass ceiling” and have finally achieved gender equality.

In the EU, women make up just over 10 percent of the top executive positions in the top 50 publicly quoted companies, and in the US female leaders occupy less than 16 percent of these positions in the Fortune 500.

As women continue to be under-represented in politics and business, this stereotype is often reinforced and self-perpetuating, said an Exeter release.

Ryan says: “Gender discrimination in politics can be subtle and difficult to identify. Women continue to be under-represented in political office and often face a more difficult political task than men.”

Her research is slated for March publication in Psychology of Women Quarterly.