If you're wondering why women CEOs often depart sooner than their male counterparts, it's not about performance—it's how the corporate game is stacked.
First off, women are more likely to step into leadership during tough times. We call this the “glass cliff”: boards trust women to rescue a sinking ship, but once the pressure peaks, the job gets dropped anyway—often quicker than it would for men.
On top of that, women are 33% more likely to be let go within three years, regardless of how the company is doing. They're held to a different standard, so even when things are going well, they face greater scrutiny.
And there's bias baked into the process: companies hype their incoming female leader more than they would a man—and that early spotlight can backfire, triggering judgment and limiting their tenure. All of this gets quieter if the woman comes from inside the company or has other women in leadership supporting her—but that’s not always the case.
Finally, women often leave for personal reasons more often than men—things like family, health, or new career paths—not necessarily because they were pushed out. Still, this combination of challenges leaves women with shorter CEO runs on average.
Women CEOs are just as capable as men, but they’re facing taller hurdles. If we want more equal leadership, it’s not enough to just pull a woman from the lineup. Companies need real support, fair expectations, and cultural change to help women thrive—not just survive.