Women tend to receive less actionable developmental feedback than men, which can affect their employment and leadership paths, according to a 2021 Harvard Business Review study. Researchers combed the open-ended feedback data given to 146 mid-career political leaders in a leadership-development program from more than 1,000 peers and found four differences in how advice was given to female and male leaders. One key difference: men were encouraged to focus on being visionary, be assertive in claiming their space, and leverage politics for opportunities. Women were encouraged to execute others' vision, be cooperative and deferential, and cope with politics by reducing tension or toughening up.
