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The number of women progressing to the highest level of companies’ leadership narrows at each step of their career. A 2014 study from Bain & Company found that 43 percent of new female employees aim for top leadership roles at the start of their careers but within five years, only 16 percent aspire to that level.

In the following Q&A, Executive Director of Bentley’s Center for Women and Business Deb Pine explains how a woman’s view of leadership starts as early as 6 years old and dramatically changes the way she thinks about a career:

Q. How early are women’s views of leadership formed?

Pine:
A woman’s view of leadership begins to take shape early in childhood, starting with the values she learns, her exposure to leadership skills and her positive role models. A new study found that 6-year-old girls are less likely than boys to think members of their own gender can be brilliant, a change from age 5, when they’re just as likely as boys to think their own gender can be brilliant.

Q. What about women who are taught leadership skills? Does this have an impact?

Pine:
Women who are encouraged to be leaders as they progress through childhood are more likely to have leadership aspirations as adults. This difference in aspiration is dramatic. In a study by KPMG, 74 percent of women who were encouraged to lead as children aspired to senior leadership roles while only 48 percent of those without encouragement felt similarly.

Q. How can schools and companies help women become leaders?

Pine
: Establishing leadership training among girls while they are still in school will lead to more women in business leadership roles and more workplace diversity. A number of educational institutions, nonprofits and corporations have recognized this and created programs such as high school leadership training and internships to empower women earlier in their lives. For example, GE’s Developing Futures program is dedicated to extending STEM initiatives in K-12 to reach more districts and students.

Leadership training must continue through college as women strengthen their self-identity and choose an initial career path. For example, Bentley University launched a new four-year Women’s Leadership Program that focuses on enhancing leadership skills, addressing gender equity issues and providing corporate connections.

Meredith Mason