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How to Thrive Being a Woman in a Male-Dominated Work Environment

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Decades after James Brown first crooned that “this is a man’s world,” the words still hold impact. In many ways, the world was designed for men to experience the least amount of resistance in life, including in their professional careers.

While the gender gap in the modern workforce has lessened, comprising 57.4% women and 69.2% men, many women still work in male-dominated settings. Read on to learn more about the challenges of working in a male-dominated environment and how to overcome them.

Being a Woman in a Male-Dominated Workplace

Looking at the numbers, male-dominated occupations are those comprising 25% or fewer women. Some of the most male-dominated fields according to the U.S. Department of Labor include:

  • Plumbing 
  • Electricians 
  • Carpenters
  • Automotive Tech
  • Construction
  • Mechanics

By these standards, it’s estimated that only 6.5% of women work full-time in male-dominated occupations.

However, this doesn’t account for the representation, or lack thereof, of women in other occupations and roles. For instance, recent studies found that women made up only 5% of the CEOs appointed in 2020 globally, and, at the CEO level, men outnumber women by approximately 17 to one.

Women also continue to be underrepresented in industries such as science, technology, and engineering. While there’s no solid number to rely on, it can be estimated that there are millions of women in male-dominated workplaces. 

Challenges of Working in a Male-Dominated Environment

Women in the workplace face unique challenges every day, but they can be compounded in a male-dominated environment. Research shows that women working in occupations where they are a small minority are especially vulnerable to sexual harassment and assault at work. 

Women working in male-dominated industries and positions must also contend with gender bias and the persistent pay gap that favors their male counterparts. Female professionals may also feel undermined in their position or like it’s difficult to speak up and have their ideas heard or taken seriously.

Thriving as a Female Professional in a Man’s World

Regardless of the challenges women face, 77% agree that the biggest obstacle to gender equity in the workplace is the lack of information on how to advance. Here are some things you can do to not only get by in a male-dominated environment but thrive.

Overcome the Stigma of Success

Too often, there’s a stigma associated with success for women. Women in leadership positions or who go after what they want are viewed as selfish or cold while their male colleagues are lauded as go-getters.

It’s important for women to never let this stigma stop them, and, more importantly, actively work against it. Remain confident in your capabilities, foster strong relationships, and take credit for your accomplishments.

Be confident in the work you do

When entering a male-dominated work environment, it’s important not to be afraid of failure or rejection. You need to be confident in yourself and the work you do. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when needed; don’t be afraid to take risks, and don’t be afraid to speak up if something isn’t right!

Finally, never forget that as you grow as a leader, so will your compensation and salary increase. So if there is something wrong at work that needs fixing (or even just addressing), never hesitate to speak out about it–the worst thing they can say is no…and then maybe yes!

Be aware of unconscious bias

Unconscious bias is a natural part of the human brain. It’s not your fault if you’re biased, but it is important to know that you are and what biases exist in order to correct them. Unconscious bias can affect hiring decisions, performance evaluations and raises, promotions, or other aspects of an employee’s job experience.

If you’re an executive looking for ways to improve your leadership skills or advance in your career while working with a male-dominated workforce—or simply want to be proactive about your progressive workplace policies—it’s critical that you understand how unconscious bias works so that you can learn how to work against its effects on female executives like yourself.

Seek Mentorship Opportunities

Finding mentors throughout your career is also important for overcoming these challenges. Role models, especially other women in your industry, can provide sound advice and relate to your situation.

You should also seek out male allies at your workplace. Men who want to be allies in the workplace can help break down the boy club mentality while helping you create a supportive network.

Create a Strong Support Network

Speaking of a support network, make sure to surround yourself with individuals who uplift you at work. A strong support group of women and men at work can help amplify your ideas, vocalize your accomplishments, and provide a safe space for sharing advice.

Watch our free masterclass to learn more about how to balance your personal and professional life.

How to Manage Workplace Anxiety

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Anxiety in the workplace is at an all-time high. After the events of the last few years, it makes sense that since 2019, reported symptoms of workplace anxiety have tripled. At every level, the pandemic placed added stressors on the workforce. And it should come as no surprise then that 83% of US adults indicate that their level of workplace anxiety has increased exponentially.

Mental health can be a challenge for people at every level within a company, including the C-Suite. Those at the top are not more protected or immune from depression, stress, anxiety, and even burnout. After all, the high stress found in the executive ranks combined with a lack of work-life balance and sometimes limited self-care is a recipe for anxiety as well as burnout.

When anxiety rears its head, executive leaders are plagued with questions like: 

“How can I lead with authority and strength when I feel anxious? 

How can I inspire and motivate others when my mind and heart are racing?”

If you experience anxiety at work, you’re not alone. But solving work stress and reducing feelings of anxiety is a complex issue. For example, work stress is rarely one singular issue. And feelings of anxiety are often caused by a combination of factors like double-booked meetings, tight deadlines, and the unique challenges women continue to face as executive leaders in the workplace.

Luckily, there are effective ways to help manage stress and anxiety at work.

Signs of Anxiety in the C-Suite

Feeling anxious about work at certain times is a universal experience. However, in addition to the struggles faced by people in the lower levels of an organization, many female executives feel they have extra challenges as a result of their high-ranking position:

Some common signs of anxiety in the workplace include:

  • The intense pressure of being responsible and accountable for the company and stakeholders, overall success within the community the organization serves, along with the performance and well-being of their team
  • The expectation to be ‘bulletproof’ and fully committed and available at all times regardless of the impact this may have on a personal life
  • The added stress female leaders feel to always show their ‘A-game’ and be successful in all endeavors
  • The perceived impact on reputation and credibility as they navigate uncertainty in the market or if they make decisions that disrupt the status quo
  • The emotional toll anxiety produces can lead to physical issues like insomnia, difficulty concentrating and feeling irritable or tense

Workplace anxiety can fuel emotional exhaustion in the long run, leading to a constant state of physical and emotional depletion. Not only that but fearful of losing their place at the table, female executives will continue to trade-off their personal life in order to maintain their work performance which will eventually lead to career burnout.

Causes of Workplace Anxiety

Stress at work can manifest differently for everyone. However, these are a handful of common causes of work anxiety:

  • Having tight deadlines and back-to-back meetings
  • Putting off personal life goals to meet work goals
  • Experiencing difficulty in transitioning to a leadership role
  • Working in a sonic-paced or unpredictable environment
  • Feeling like your day is out of your control

What’s more, being unable to disconnect from work outside of the office can also lead to anxious feelings which left unchecked can become a chronic problem. It’s important to have strategies in place to combat these feelings, especially since the pace and expectations associated with a senior-level role are unlikely to change. The good news is, that once you’ve dialed in strategies to reduce anxiety and stress, you can thrive in your executive position. 

4 Ways to Manage Workplace Anxiety

If you experience anxiety in the workplace, here are four strategies we use with our clients to help them mitigate stressful feelings and navigate even the most challenging situations with ease.

1. Disconnect At Will

It is vital to disconnect from work physically, mentally, and emotionally. Most recommended strategies like turning off notifications merely address the physical aspect of disconnection. However, that’s just one piece of the puzzle. Learning to disconnect mentally and emotionally will fortify you when the next work crisis arises.

2. Lean into Leadership

When deadlines and projects are looming, our go-to girl persona wants to jump into action and get it all done. However, this adds unnecessary stress and at the executive level, it’s important to lead rather than do. Give your team clear directives, keep your team energized about their role, provide the tools necessary and give them a chance to get the job done.

3. Meet Your Needs

Learning to meet your needs at a high level is the best way to protect your mental health at work. Learn to identify what you need throughout the day, whether that is meditation, stepping outside, or making your favorite tea to enjoy while you work. The strategies we use to meet our needs can vary, but it’s up to us to meet them throughout the workday to stay at the top of our game.

4. Find a Mentor

Finally, working with a mentor can make a huge difference between suffering and succeeding at the top. Globally, 24% of senior leadership roles are held by women. To learn how to navigate a high-pressure career without succumbing to the stress inherent in executive roles, finding someone who understands the unique challenges for female leaders, and has a proven track record for thriving in the C-Suite can be career-saving.

>> Anxiety often shows up hand-in-hand with burnout. Check out this article to learn how to protect your executive career from burnout.

And if you’re ready to learn more about overcoming anxiety & burnout in your career, watch our free video masterclass.

How to Overcome Burnout in Your Executive Career

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Across all industries, burnout is at an all-time high but is especially prevalent for female executives. With fewer role models at the senior level to help guide you, many women struggle to transition from mid-level management to senior leadership. And while a tendency to overwork may have helped professional women establish themselves in the junior years of their careers, it is also a key contributor to executive burnout.

According to recent studies, 60% of leaders report feeling “used up” at the end of the workday. This is a common warning sign of job burnout. Let’s look at what causes burnout and how to prevent it. 

What is Burnout?

With a relentless schedule of back-to-back meetings being the norm at the leadership level, it should come as no surprise to learn that burnout often comes up in relation to work-related stress. However, while it may have some of the same symptoms, burnout does differ from daily workplace anxiety and requires different strategies to effectively overcome its effects.

The World Health Organization recently defined burnout as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”

In short, burnout is specifically related to a work context, not other life or personal factors. Yet, the symptoms of burnout, which can manifest as emotional and physical health problems like exhaustion, reduced professional efficacy, and negative mental health definitely impacts your quality of life. 

How to Recognize if You Have Executive Burnout

You know you are in burnout when:

You dream of escaping

 For example, you might look out the window and wish you are the window washer on the office building across the street instead of sitting in your corner office. Another common fantasy is to wish you had a minor illness; nothing major,  just sick enough to give you permission to stay home for a few weeks and get a break from the pressures of your professional life.

You feel apathy

 Once burnout becomes entrenched, apathy sets in. Apathy can manifest in a number of ways. You’ll notice you start declining meeting invites or skipping meetings unannounced. You may come to work late and leave early. Or when your phone rings, instead of jumping to see who called, you shut off the ringer and allow it to go to voicemail.

You start to settle

As burnout becomes more intense, you may begin to rationalize that churning butter in the woods or becoming a kayak instructor are better options.

Or your self-talk starts to normalize walking away with statements like “simpler will be better” “I don’t need all this” and “the money isn’t worth the trade-off”.

But let’s say you put your fantasy into action. Now you’re escaping the problem. 

And when you walk away for a “simpler life” there is a real risk that you may wake up down the road and feel panic at the hard-won success you’ve lost and resentment for those who continued to advance past you in a career you actually loved.

Executive Burnout 101

While our understanding of burnout is evolving, the concept of executive burnout was first explored in depth in a popular Harvard Business Review article in 1981. It found that most executives who were experiencing emotional exhaustion were overwhelmed with tasks that offered little reward or a clear path to success.

The article also outlined some common symptoms of burnout in executives, including

  • Chronic fatigue
  • Anger at those making demands
  • Self-criticism
  • Cynicism, negativity, and irritability
  • A sense of being besieged
  • Physical symptoms like headaches, and a weakened immune system

This information still holds true for executives experiencing burnout today. However, they are also facing new challenges in recent years. Today, 37% of executives work longer hours than they did before the pandemic. Even more alarming, 75% report mental and physical health concerns related to their job.

How to Overcome Burnout at Work

Most executives who struggle with burnout think they have a work-life balance problem. However, how to overcome burnout at work is more complex than simply “finding” work-life balance. And often the recommended strategies include working less or walking away from high-pressure roles. For executives who love their careers, there shouldn’t have to be a trade-off between your career and your personal life to alleviate burnout.

It’s completely possible for executive women to overcome burnout without the need for a drastic career change or sabbatical. Here is how executive women can overcome burnout:

  1. Play to Win: Women in leadership have a common fatal flaw; they are killing themselves trying to prove they deserve a place at the table after they already have a place at the table. This culturally ingrained behavior sets women up to fail instead of win. Recognize that you are valuable for who you are and instead of working ten times harder than your colleagues, simply show up and be authentically you. Believe it or not, that’s why they hired you.
  1. Protect Yourself: At this level, it’s your job to protect your well-being. This means you must be alert to your physical, mental, and emotional health and make sure you are taking steps toward filling your own cup. Otherwise, you’ll risk decision fatigue, imposter syndrome, and anxiety. You don’t have to adopt an all-or-nothing approach. Small, yet significant strategies that meet your needs are more than enough to keep you operating at a peak state.
  1. Resource Yourself. Whether that’s a career coach or a network of other executive women, it can be helpful to have a community that understands your struggles and can support you with proven strategies to protect yourself and your career. 

Learn more about overcoming burnout and how to revitalize your career in our latest masterclass.