What are the primary obstacles that women encounter when ascending to the position of Chief Executive Officer in organizations located in Belgium?

Details

Supervisors

Jacquemin, Amélie

Faculty

Louvain School of Management

Degree label

Master [120] : ingénieur de gestion, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

In 2020, a MichealPage study revealed that 9 out of 10 Belgian Chief Executive Officers were men. This underrepresentation of women in leadership positions indicates not only a problem of gender inclusion and diversity as it also impacts the performance of the company. Indeed, having a woman in the Chief Executive Officer position has a positive effect on the general performance and decreases the risk levels of the company. The main objective of this thesis is to identify and understand the main barriers that female employees face when they are willing to reach a high leadership role, such as a Chief Executive Officer position, within a Belgian organization. To do so, the research was based on the testimonies of women general directors and managers through semi structured interviews, enriched with documentations available on the companies' websites. Overall, this thesis identified five main barriers women employees face when willing to reach the position of Chief Executive Officer in an organization located in Belgium. Indeed, the hurdle of double bind, work and life balance, lack of mentorship and networking opportunities and the glass ceiling were found to be significant barriers by the female interviewees. In light of this context, legal and corporate culture recommendations were provided in order to decrease the hurdles faced by women employee willing to obtain a Chief Executive Officer position in a Belgian company. In addition, suggestions for future research were provided in order to encourage further investigations on this important and current topic.