How Women Can Navigate
the Path to Leadership
in Project Management

These hurdles can overshadow the very qualities that make women exceptionally effective PMs like empathy, multitasking prowess, and a collaborative leadership style.

While progress is being made, women continue to be underrepresented in project management roles, often leaving the field earlier or being overlooked for leadership opportunities. Research highlights structural challenges including lack of flexible work options, limited mentorship, and deep-seated stereotypes labeling women as too emotional or not technical enough.

Let’s go beyond the motivational clichés and have a real conversation about the fears holding women back, the systemic barriers that persist, and the strategies to navigate these with resilience, clarity, and authenticity.

Women often hesitate to pursue leadership or project management roles due to a combination of internal doubts and external barriers:

A striking 75% of female executives report experiencing imposter syndrome at some point which makes them question their capabilities despite evident success. They often feel obligated to overcompensate by working longer hours and avoiding asking for help even when they're fully qualified.

Impostor syndrome is a real and existing problem, not a barrier made up by women as an excuse. For many women, it can quietly shape their entire professional and personal life.

Some women live with it all their lives, internally berating themselves for every perceived shortcoming, while delivering work that is objectively outstanding.

Despite equal or higher performance, women in leadership are frequently judged more harshly and granted fewer opportunities compared to men.

Broad stereotypes like women being “too emotional” or lacking technical competence fuel biases in hiring, performance reviews, and promotions.

Many women leave project-driven fields within a few years due to cultural isolation, lack of advancement paths, or burnout, contributing to an ongoing gender gap at senior levels. And no, this is not often an individual career choice.

The problem is caused by many micro-barries like the subtle exclusion from key decision-making circles, being passed over for stretch assignments, or receiving less mentorship compared to male peers.

Over time, these reasons erode women’s confidence and limit their personality, making it harder for women to progress and easier for them to opt out entirely.

According to Role Congruity Theory, women are often perceived as less suitable for leadership because societal expectations of gender (that women are more caring, cooperative, and relationship-oriented) and authority conflict making it harder for women to be seen as both competent and appropriately “leader‑like.”

This mismatch creates a double bind: when women lead with warmth and empathy, they may be seen as “nice but not strong enough”. But when they adopt a more assertive or directive style, they risk being labeled as “too aggressive” or “unlikeable.”

When women do get leadership roles, it often happens during high-risk periods such as organizational crises or turbulent market conditions when the likelihood of failure is significantly higher.

This phenomenon, known as the “glass cliff,” was first identified by researchers Michelle Ryan and Alex Haslam in the early 2000s, who found that women are more likely than men to be appointed to precarious leadership positions where success is far from guaranteed.

The problem is clear: if the turnaround fails, the leader’s performance is judged harshly and often used as “evidence” that women are less capable in top roles. On the other hand, if it succeeds, the credit may be diluted or attributed to external factors. Speaking of project management, this can mean being handed a severely delayed project with unrealistic deadlines, insufficient budget, or a dysfunctional team.

And the last non-obvious reason why women are afraid to climb the project management career ladder lies in lacking senior women in the team to look up to. For many women, without role models in senior positions, it’s harder to envision what a successful career path could look like (especially in male-dominated environments), or to believe that it’s achievable.

The absence of other women in leadership can create a sense of isolation and make it more difficult to build the informal networks where much of the career-shaping information is shared. Seeing another woman lead a major project can send a powerful message that such success is both possible and sustainable, can’t it?

Despite persistent stereotypes and the internal resistance these can create, women bring a range of powerful strengths that make them highly effective leaders across industries including project management.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the most significant advantages women contribute to leadership roles.

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others, and it’s one of the most valuable leadership skills in project management after communication and time management. Numerous studies have found that women consistently demonstrate stronger social cognition and empathy.

For instance, a meta-analysis of 215 studies found that females, on average, outperform males at recognizing emotions and processing facial cues. Neuroscientific research further suggests that women exhibit more activity in brain regions associated with understanding others’ intentions and emotions.

As for leadership in project management, empathetic women leaders build trust faster, resolve conflicts more effectively, and create psychologically safe environments for team members.

We also believe that women’s natural tendency to listen actively and connect on a human level is their competitive advantage.

Complex projects often involve cross-functional teams, remote contributors, and stakeholders with competing priorities, so collaboration skill helps leaders to bring together diverse perspectives and align people toward a shared goal.

Studies confirm that women tend to be more collaborative and egalitarian in team settings, and they also often build more inclusive, diverse networks, which strengthens collective intelligence.

Successful project management demands a balance between clear-headed analysis and the confidence to act decisively especially under pressure. Women in leadership often bring a measured, well-researched approach to decision-making, ensuring that strategies are grounded in data while still adaptable to evolving circumstances.

Analytical assertiveness allows women to defend their ideas with evidence and logic. In addition resilience plays an equally vital role. With this combination of skills women leaders navigate complex stakeholder negotiations, risk assessments, and project pivots without losing credibility, and more.

Many women leaders excel at responsibility, often going above and beyond to deliver on commitments and maintain transparent communication with stakeholders.

This sense of responsibility stems from both professional standards and a deeply rooted drive to prove their value in environments where leadership potential is sometimes questioned. Women in leadership positions often hold themselves to higher performance benchmarks, which can translate into more thorough risk management, careful budget oversight, and meticulous project planning.

Great project managers make great decisions that shape business results. And in this case women leaders often excel here because they balance analytical thinking with a strong sense of intuition. While data drives their strategies, they’re also attuned to human factors that numbers can’t fully capture. It’s about team morale, client sentiment, and subtle shifts in stakeholder priorities.

This blend of logic and emotional intelligence can lead to smarter, more sustainable decisions. For example, instead of rushing to close a project just to meet a deadline, women might adjust timelines to ensure quality, client satisfaction, and long-term value.

Another one of the most underestimated superpowers women bring to project management is their exceptional multitasking ability. Although multitasking itself is sometimes misunderstood, women often succeed at effective multitasking. For example, they find it easy to switch smoothly between different tasks without losing focus on priorities or feeling anxious.

When it comes to project management, multitasking skills are particularly useful. A female leader is capable of balancing calls with clients and her team while assessing risks or calculating the budget for a large project during breaks.

One of the most sensitive and frequently overlooked challenges women leaders face is negotiating their salary. The troubling pattern is that women often name a salary figure below market value or lower than what they truly expect during job interviews. But why?

There are some common reasons that explain this behavior:

Fear of Rejection. Women worry that asking for too much will cost them the job offer. The stakes feel higher when the opportunity is rare or highly coveted, pushing them to undervalue themselves just to stay in the running.

Desire to Be Liked. Many women want to be perceived as cooperative and easy to work with. They believe that flexibility and modest demands increase their likability and reduce conflict during negotiations.

Gender Bias and Stereotypes. Societal biases still linger. Hiring managers may unconsciously assume women will prioritize family over career or question their leadership readiness.

The “Motherhood Penalty”. Women fear that raising compensation demands might reinforce stereotypes about their availability or commitment, particularly concerns like, “Will she go on maternity leave soon?” or “Can she handle the pressure?” This fear leads to preemptive self-limiting behaviors.

We’d like to believe that recognizing this intolerable and at the same time all-too-common pattern is the truly first step toward change. Women deserve to walk into any negotiation with confidence, knowing they have every right to ask for what they’re worth without fear of judgment or job offer rejection.

Internal doubts and external obstacles can crush even the strongest leadership drive in capable, responsible, and empathetic women. Too often, these women miss out on prime professional opportunities because of deep-seated social prejudices and limiting beliefs.

So, how to address this serious issue?

First, you need to recognize the problem, which is harder than it may seem. All of the aforementioned barriers women face on a daily basis are very much normalized. Hence, pulling oneself out of that mental trap and assessing the status quo with clarity takes education, effort and oftentimes outside support. However, this is an important first step that you need to master. Once you acknowledge the problem, then you can move onto the next step which is addressing that problem. It will require courage, grit and persistence from your side.

Here are a few practical tools that can help women reclaim their confidence and leadership voice:

Keep a “brag file.” Create a dedicated document or folder on your mobile phone where you collect examples of your achievements. It may be positive feedback, closed successful projects, or any process improvements you’ve led. When impostor syndrome hits, open it and remind yourself of your tangible impact.

Join negotiation workshops. Skip the generic “leadership training” and go for highly targeted courses on negotiating salary, benefits, and working conditions.

Find them online or offline in your city, and pay attention to ensure that they are designed specifically for women and discuss issues similar to yours.

And if you can’t find a women-focused business club or professional network that fits your needs, maybe that’s your sign to start one yourself. Nothing builds resilience and insight quite like the bumps and bruises you get from creating something from scratch. You’ll bring like-minded women together and find mutual solutions. How does this idea sound to you?

Measure the success of others on social media. Social media rarely shows us the whole real picture. When we forget that, we fall into the trap of comparing ourselves with others' success stories.

Instead of passively consuming, approach it intentionally: set time limits on scrolling and follow accounts (and unfollow ones that fuel unhealthy comparison) that inspire learning rather than competition. Regularly remind yourself that your pace, challenges, and victories are valid even if they don’t make it to Instagram.

And lastly, if you recognize that fear, for example, anxiety about asking for the salary you deserve, is holding you back, don’t be afraid to seek professional help. A psychologist or coach can help you work through challenges like self-doubt or imposter syndrome. Trust that in this safe space, you can voice your fears openly without fear of judgment.

In conclusion, I would like to say that no matter how difficult and thorny the path may be for women to build a career in project management (and in any other field), I believe that a bright future awaits us.

There will be more women in leadership positions, everyone will be able to ask for a decent salary without fear or hesitation, and career opportunities will be equal for all.

Companies will not only open their doors to women in leadership roles, but will also actively encourage their success. And that day will come sooner if we start taking action today.