The Science of Women Under Pressure

I’m feeling less positive than I expected on International Women’s Day

What, you say? How can you be negative toward a day that celebrates women everywhere? What are you – a misogynist?

Well, I hope not, but clearly I need to clarify. I have no problem with International Women’s day. In fact, I am grateful for how the day brings awareness to the impact women are having in the worl­d as well as where they are still facing injustice and inequality but it also reminds me of how certain cultural stereotypes persist and continue to shape our view of women.

For instance, when you picture a leader making a difficult decision or an athlete competing with the expectations of a country on their shoulders, who do you picture? More specifically, who is it that is succeeding in these situations marked by intense pressure? Is it a male or female?  

While I would wish it were different, most of us still see the male doing better in positions of power when facing the pressure experienced in organizations or in athletics. The question is how true to the research are these stereotypes?

For over twenty years we have been studying (and developing) leaders at the Institute for Health & Human Potential (IHHP). Each month we survey 38,000 people from around the world and do more in depth research on another 2,500. We also train many more thousands on five continents. Emerging out of our research and the research of others are patterns that upset these stereotypes. For instance, under pressure, women make decisions differently than men which indisputably makes their organization better and they perform in sports more effectively under pressure than men (of course, it is impossible to suggest that all women do one thing and all men another but there but there are some distinct patterns that are emerging).  

Let’s look at the research. In a recent white paper we published , we made the case that women’s brain based differences predisposes them to weigh more variables, consider more options, see more context and visualize a wider array of solutions and outcomes to a problem when they or their organizations are under pressure. Research has shown, that, organizations which leverage this unique strength of decision making and have more women in top leadership positions, have stronger relationships with customers and shareholders, and a more diverse and profitable business. Also, they outperform the competition in every measure of profitability: equity, revenue, and assets. Why don’t we hear more about this?

Or here is another one you probably were not aware of: in sports, the traditionally male dominated domain, women perform better than men in pressure situations.

In an intriguing study just published, researchers found that in pressure situations in tennis, women's performance diminishes in the more crucial stages of the contest about 50% smaller than that of men (as a rule, pressure diminishes everyone’s performance; to perform under pressure is not about performing better when the heat is on but about being diminished less).

This makes sense in the biological literature where there is now general agreement that in response to achievement challenges, cortisol levels increase more rapidly among men than among women, and that high levels of cortisol can harm the mind’s critical abilities, diminishing decision making and performance.

Interestingly, the increase in cortisol is not limited to just sports. There is a significantly higher release of cortisol among men compared to women during public speaking and performing mental arithmetic in front of an audience as well as in verbal challenges (Is it lost on any one that Hilary Clinton out-performed Donald Trump in three straight debates?)

The point is this: while women have a significant impact on the world and there is much we celebrate, one of their most profound strengths might be completely overlooked.

Today, on International Women’s Day, it’s important to see all the effects women have on our society – not just the nonthreatening, traditional ones. If women are going to have the influence the world needs them to have, we must each fight through some of the cultural stereotypes that persist. Using the emerging science is a great place to start. So, here’s a note of gratitude to all the women who are facing pressure and thriving, building great organizations, great communities and great families and who are making tough decisions and winning medals when the pressure is on and it matters most.