2018 Issue

68 Attending college helps build confidence, and having a degree provides knowledge and skills that lead to inde- pendence and self-reliance for individuals and families. The second most frequently mentioned solution was to have more female role models, mentors, and sponsors in all sec- tors and in the community at large. Women in any profes- sional position, community role, or leadership area should reach out, encourage, and support girls and women to give them more opportunities. Third, participants believe that we need to change the way our society views women. Currently there are narrow views of what a “good woman” should do and how she should behave, particularly in Utah. All women have value in whatever role or combination of roles they chose (e.g., workplace, home, community, and politics). According to one participant, “Judging women based on a narrow set of criteria is not helpful for anyone.” The fourth most common response relates to increasing community support and resources for girls and women. This includes increasing encouragement and support through media, programs, initiatives, and policy changes. Fifth, there must be widespread awareness of these confi- dence and leadership issues for women, and they must be discussed openly and more often. In the Utah culture, these topics are typically not discussed. Men and women alike need accurate information and openness. Finally, men need to partner with women on these initia- tives, and women should be supporting and encouraging each other. A number of respondents discussed the need to partner with men and to make them allies for empow- ering girls and women. If men understand the gender confidence gap, the unconscious bias, the benefits that women bring to companies and other types of groups and organizations, and the need for mentoring and supporting women more effectively, they can be a strong force in mov- ing things forward in Utah. Although most Utah women do believe in supporting each other, a number of participants mentioned that there are women—some who are in key positions—who do not sup- port efforts, initiatives, and programs for women. According to one participant, “Too many women tear each other down, while women need to stand together for the greater good.” Conclusion This brief has provided the latest findings on women leaders’ perceptions of the following: (1) why Utah strug- gles with getting more women into leadership roles, (2) perceptions of women, confidence, and leadership; (3) important and helpful concepts regarding confidence, (4) when women have struggled most with confidence, and (5) what women think Utahans can do to help more girls and women gain more confidence and become leaders. Insights gained from these data will be helpful for Utah leaders and residents to better design efforts to strengthen confidence, develop leadership, and empower women to influence more effectively in the realms in which they choose to en- gage. It is also important to note that this brief has focused primarily on internal barriers for Utah women, such as self-confidence. Yet, this is only one piece of the puzzle in helping women in our state. There are a host of external barriers identified in the scholar- ly and professional literature (e.g., unconscious bias, hostile bias, workplace discrimination, and organizational policies and practices) that need further exploration and potential work within this state. Some efforts are already underway to address some of these issues; however, much more needs to be done to help Utah girls and women become confident participants and leaders in all sectors of society. 1 Chu, A., & Posner, C. (2013). The state of women in America: A 50-state analysis of how women are faring across the nation. Retrieved from http://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/ uploads/2013/09/StateOfWomen-4.pdf. 2 Found at https://www.linkedin.com/groups/Utah-Women-Lead- ership-Project-6683851?home=&gid=6683851&trk=anet_ug_ hm&goback=.gmp_6683851 3 Details about past Utah Women & Leadership Project events can be retrieved from http://www.uvu.edu/uwlp/events/uwlpe- vents.html Dr. Susan R. Madsen is the Orin R. Wood- bury Professor of Leadership and Ethics in the Woodbury School of Business at Utah Valley University. Susan has been heavily involved for over a decade studying wom- en and leadership. In the past few years, Dr. Madsen released ten briefs through the Utah Women Leadership Project, which she founded, on Utah women and leadership in all sectors and settings.