The Authority Gap Consultancy, led by Mary Ann Sieghart, helps change the culture in your workplace so that women are equally valued and respected, making the organisation perform better. We start with gender, but our work has intersectional benefits too.
Drawing on the research from Mary Ann’s bestselling book, The Authority Gap, our targeted actions will boost the pipeline of talented women in your organisation, ensure they are recognised, and make it more attractive for them to stay and advance.
The end result is higher performance, a better culture for everyone, more women in senior roles, and a narrowing of the gender pay gap.
What is the Authority Gap?
The Authority Gap is a measure of how much more seriously we still take men than women. We assume a man knows what he’s talking about until he proves otherwise, while for women, it’s all too often the other way round. Women are twice as likely as men to say they have to provide evidence of their competence or that people are surprised at their abilities.
Why close the Authority Gap?
Performance
S&P 500 companies that are more diverse and inclusive see better results and have lower risk. Gender diversity on boards and among managers correlates with a higher return on equity.
Source: Bank of America, Global Research
Culture
Women who feel excluded at work are three times more likely to quit than those who feel included.
Source: Bain & Co
Talent Management
Women receive higher performance ratings than men but are 14% less likely to be promoted.
Source: MIT Sloan
If organisations are committed to advancing women, they must go beyond simply increasing representation of women in senior roles. This requires a fundamental shift in how authority is recognised and respected. Until workplaces address this head-on, efforts to boost diversity will remain hollow, and some of their best talent may continue to walk out of the door.
Anjli Raval, Management Editor, Financial Times
Why does the Authority Gap cost employers money?
Women aren’t equally valued, leading to worse organisational performance, lower female engagement and higher turnover of women.
This hurts your business.
- Poorer decision-making because women’s views are listened to less
- Female employees feel dispirited, so they contribute less
- Decreased female employee engagement
- Women are valued less than men and promoted more slowly
- The poor culture forces women out
- Missed opportunities to maximise women's potential
- Worse performance because you are not making the most of your talent
Who we've helped
The session with Mary Ann Sieghart today was just amazing! I’ve worked in JPMorgan for 16 years and I don’t think I’ve ever had one that resonated with me as much. An excellent session, really thought provoking.