Empowering Women: Change the System, Not the Women

Mar 24

Up until the 1970s, U.S. orchestras were overwhelmingly male, with women making up less than 10%. Why? One might assume there simply weren’t enough talented women to fill the roles.

Or… maybe not.

Then, something unexpected happened. Instead of questioning the talent, orchestras began examining the process. Beginning in the 1970s and 80s, most adopted the practice of blind auditions, placing musicians behind a screen so evaluators could not see them. In some cases, candidates were even asked to remove their shoes so the sound of high heels wouldn’t unintentionally signal gender.

The result? According to research by Claudia Goldin and Cecilia Rouse (2000, American Economic Review), blind auditions increased the likelihood of female musicians being selected by 30%. Today, women account for 40% of orchestras across the U.S.

The takeaway is that empowering women is about changing the system, not the women.

Or, as I like to say: It’s the water, not the fish.

So, what does this mean for women in the workplace?

In a nutshell: we need to focus less on the fish (women), and more on the water that surrounds the fish.

Meanwhile, women’s leadership programs largely focus on the individual woman—not her environment. Women are equipped with new skills and enhanced mindset strategies—from building confidence, to negotiating more assertively, to honing executive presence, to leaning in. Not to say that these skills and attributes aren’t valuable, but if the surrounding way of doing the work doesn’t support them, then the impact is likely to be minimal.

No surprise, according to McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace 2025 Report, women hold just over 30% of leadership positions worldwide. For the 11th consecutive year, women are underrepresented at every level of the pipeline, especially at the top.

The overriding reason? Lack of systemic support. Women are sponsored less often than men (by 15%), and even when they are, they’re less likely to be promoted. All of this has been compounded by a decline in organizational commitment to the advancement of women. There has been a marked rolling back of progress for women. Women today are being given less career support and fewer opportunities to advance than in previous years.

But it’s more than that. As Forbes contributor Aparna Rae puts it in her article “McKinsey’s ‘Women in the Workplace’ Obscures What Companies Are Actually Doing to Women”: “Corporations are making deliberate choices that harm women's advancement, and they're doing it at scale.” Specifically, she notes, workplaces have become increasingly hostile to anyone with caregiving responsibilities or flexibility needs (which—surprise!—are mostly women).

Just like with orchestras, if organizations are serious about helping women to advance, they need to move beyond self-empowerment programs to change organization-wide cultural norms. A one-off initiative that inspires women in the morning and then sends them back to unclear expectations, lack of flexibility, and uneven opportunities in the afternoon, will never do much.

So, now what?

Celebrate—yes, but let’s also start a movement.

March is Women's History Month. And yes—we should celebrate. Let’s honor the women who paved the way, recognize progress made, and celebrate those who are rising in the ranks.

But, the real gift we can give women this month is a commitment to designing workplaces where women—and everyone—can actually thrive. We need a movement.

In particular, we need a movement driven by managers.

Here’s How to Start a Movement, Not Just Celebrate a Moment.

If you’re a manager, you might feel like shifting systems and changing the culture to meaningfully support women is beyond your reach. Turns out, though, you are uniquely positioned to build a positive ecosystem within the team. You have the capacity to carve out an Oasis of Equal Opportunity (and wellbeing).

This begins with putting The Multiplier Method into practice: Do, Speak, Create.

DO: Lead by Example. As Forbes contributor Rae emphasized, women’s advancement is dependent upon having flexibility. After all, as the 2024 McKinsey Report noted (and what decades of research has shown), women perform a whopping 3X as much housework as their male partners do. Somebody has to take on the caregiving responsibilities at home—childcare, eldercare, disability care. And more often than not, these fall on women to pick up the slack.
So, if you want to help the women on your team advance, model healthy boundaries. Signal to them that it is OK to take advantage of flexible work arrangements by doing it yourself. Do your part to destigmatize the flexibility needed for caregiving, a task that has been disproportionately thrust upon women.
Speak: Engage in Conversation. What are the norms, especially within the team? Even if they haven’t been explicitly named, everybody knows what they are. Too often, there is an unnamed, but palpably felt lack of tolerance for flexible work arrangements. As a manager, you can help to break that cycle by facilitating conversation, especially with your men. Help them to recognize the double burden that is being placed on women, and guide them in understanding that taking advantage of flexible work hours does not equate to poor performance. In fact, studies have shown that arrangements such as remote work, flexible hours and compressed workweek can increase productivity levels (and also reduce stress levels). A win-win for everyone!
Create: Devise Team-Based Systems to Empower Your Women. A few months ago, while seated at a DFW Chili’s Restaurant bar, I struck up a conversation with my bar mate, who turned out to be a manager at Wells Fargo. After we exchanged the usual “what do you do?”, she let out a small sigh when I shared that I was a workplace wellbeing professional. Perhaps out of curiosity, skepticism, or both.
But then she noted: “You know, I started doing those walking meetings with my team for our one-on-ones. Some of my team members opted for vigorous fast walks; others chose to sit on an outdoor bench overlooking the water. But, whatever the case, it was really interesting to see what happened as a result of these walking meetings. You see, I had been trying to get my team members to be open to coaching—but I wanted the request to come from them. I didn’t want to force it.
Then, suddenly, each team member began requesting coaching from me—something that previously every one had resisted. These walking meetings were like a magic trust serum!”
This story illustrates the power that managers hold in creating systems to facilitate positive change.
By creating a new process, this manager built psychological safety, “aka a Safe Harbor,” whereby her team members felt more trusting in receiving candid feedback. In particular, she noted, these walking meetings enabled her to connect more deeply, especially with the women on her team, planting seeds for their personal and professional growth.

Let’s Get Started!

Whether it’s about elevating wellbeing or lifting women up, it’s not so much about personal choice as it is about having a supportive environment and culture.

Just as orchestras learned in the 70s and 80s—fixing the gender gap isn’t about telling women to audition more confidently. It’s about naming a process that was failing them, and replacing it with one that empowered them.

This Women’s History Month, do more than celebrate.