The Empathic Leader: The Silencing of Female Leaders

In her dissertation, Dr. Carrie Arnold discovered that silencing is a common experience among female leaders. When they experience silencing, female leaders notice a shift in their leadership behavior, becoming disengaged with peers and direct reports. Unfortunately, this disengagement can contribute to further silencing of women in the organization. Among the women she interviewed, Dr. Arnold noted that only 25% were able to recover from silencing experiences without making a job change or opting out of leadership. Of those who respond to silencing by making a job change, only half were able to full recover from those experiences. Feeling silenced in the workplace impacts not only leadership behavior but also women's physical, cognitive, emotional, and spiritual health.

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