Gender-Flat Direction: Leadership Has No Gender

None of us witnessed that moment. No account has reached us, except as a blurred echo, but what we know today through science offers us another reading possibility. Imagine, then, that at the very instant man took form from the dust of the earth, the same was happening for woman. Not from a rib, nor from a part of man, but from the same original substance, created to be a part of the whole, complementary in being other yet equal.

There was no sequence, no superiority. There was a simultaneity, a primordial bond. There was thought, movement, being, created together, like two sides of the same coin. The woman was not derived from the man, just as the man was not derived from the woman. They completed each other, like day and night, like heaven and earth, like thought and action.

Yet, as time went by, the memory of this genesis was obscured, annihilated by accounts that preferred to explain the origin of what we see with the language of division, rather than that of synthesis.

Man was born to lead, and he possesses the suitable physique and temperament to do so. Leadership has always been his nature: a man with vision, decision, and authority is the very definition of success. This is what history has told us, and if we look at the numbers for 2025, there doesn't seem to be much evidence to the contrary. The LinkedIn Global Gender Gap Report 2025 tells us that only slightly more than 30% of leadership positions are held by women, despite them now constituting half of the global workforce. And this is not a coincidence. Cultural, social, and structural barriers continue to limit women's growth opportunities, preventing them from accessing the top ranks.

But where is it written that leadership is a male domain? Why shouldn't women lead if they possess the same (if not superior, we can discuss that later) capabilities in strategic thinking, problem-solving, and complex vision? And yet, the 2025 data tells us something different. It is time to review the paradigm. There is no cognitive or biological handicap that justifies this disparity.

Throughout the 20th century, one of the most tendentious debates circulating in the "good salons" of the scientific community concerned the alleged biological superiority of men in leadership roles. This was often justified by theories attributing a direct influence on decision-making and leadership to male hormones (such as testosterone). It was argued that, thanks to a genetic and biological predisposition, men were naturally more suited to command roles and high-risk decisions.

Contemporary neuroscience, however, has refuted the idea that there is an innate biological difference that makes men more suited for leadership. In-depth studies have shown that men and women are equally skilled in exercising advanced cognitive abilities, including strategic analysis, complex problem-solving, and collective leadership.

Indeed, in many cases, women exhibit a greater capacity for multidimensional thinking, empathy, and emotional management. All qualities that are now fundamental for modern leadership. Neurosciences have also demonstrated that brain differences between men and women, while existing, do not significantly influence decision-making capacity or leadership potential. In fact, it is precisely the relational and communicative qualities of women that make them particularly suited to managing interconnected teams and navigating complex contexts.

In other words, leadership effectiveness does not depend on a biological difference, but on the ability to connect people, lead with vision, and manage inclusively. Neuroscience, therefore, confirms that the gender gap in leadership is not biologically determined, but is the result of cultural, organizational, and social barriers that have prevented women from reaching top positions.

The gender gap, therefore, is something supernatural. In the sense that it exists despite the fact that it shouldn't. It is a spectre that haunts organizations, feeding on structural and cultural prejudices that reinforce its presence and make the chains that hinder the promotion of women into top roles increasingly heavy and noisy. Its most insidious shadows are mainly three:

Cultural Barriers and Implicit Bias. These deep-rooted prejudices are the basis of a vicious cycle that self-perpetuates. Implicit biases often reduce the visibility and authority of women, especially in male-dominated environments. But there's more: when leaders rely on stereotypes, women are continuously underestimated, leading them to remain on the sidelines. This creates a distorted reality, where women see themselves as "less prepared" for top roles, reinforcing the initial idea of male superiority.

Limited Access to Development Opportunities.The mentoring networks that men spontaneously create and dominate are often inaccessible to women. Partly because they are underrepresented in senior positions. And partly because, as mentioned earlier, the powerful biases that cause a lack of confidence in their own skills and fear of being considered inadequate, push them to self-exclude from growth opportunities. The lack of active "sponsorship" by male leaders leaves them vulnerable and trapped in the perception of difficulty, slowing down their careers.

Inadequate Corporate Policies. What are women's needs? Pay attention to the question: female managers are not asking for favours, but concrete opportunities to compete on an equal footing. Often, however, corporate policies do not offer them the necessary tools to balance work and private life. A necessity that goes far beyond comfort. Access to flexible working, equal pay, and policies that promote mental health and family care are not options. They are sacred and inviolable necessities that every woman in a career has the right to receive to be fully valued in her role. The difficulty of managing family and career, for example, is not a female limitation but a defect of an organizational system incapable of adapting to modern needs.

Yes, we know, everyone talks about inclusivity and equity. We are certainly not the ones who can propose definitive solutions. But sometimes change is not so much about discovering a new magic formula, as it is about making the best use of the tools we already have to move closer to change. At the very least, to trigger or encourage it.

Gender diversity is a topic that – enough already – it's absurd that we still have to talk about it today. Companies that do not address it are losing fundamental opportunities for growth and innovation. That said, discussing solutions requires coming to terms with a reality where change cannot be a stroke of luck, but a structured path.

But let's talk about what we know. Practical tools for establishing and consolidating a mindset oriented towards gender equality exist. To be clear, our intention is not to lecture but to offer a contribution based on what we know how to do. Immersive simulations (like our Skill Mosaico, Business Game, and Web InBasket) have the advantage of being tools that, while training leadership, are perfect both for evaluating talent by dodging biases and for detecting the ability of others to act without prejudice. Those "others" (in the masculine just because the Italian language, at the moment, works that way) who deserve to lead a team, regardless of the quantity of X in their chromosomal makeup. Since we all know the theories by now, perhaps it's time to start putting what we know into practice.

If only we would abandon old stories and look with new eyes, we would see that every difference between the sexes is not a barrier, but a component that enriches leadership as a whole. The time to recognize this symmetry is now. There has been talk of superiority, of drawn lines, of hierarchies that have never had any basis other than our interpretations. Because, it is so, man and woman are two entities equal in value, endowed with complementary strength. There is no significant difference. There is complementarity.

And so, the peculiarities we see—physical, psychological, behavioural—are only nuances of the same essence. An equation that makes no distinction between the value of one and the other. Man and woman are not opposites, they are the same concept that has taken shape on different planes. And so, it is time to understand and admit that, if we want to talk about differences, they are elements that, when juxtaposed, restore symmetry where for too long there has been asymmetry.