If we believe that men and women are equally able in a company or a country, then we should be expecting a 50/50 outcome. If we don’t get that, then there is either bias or constraints to natural merit.
– Lieutenant General Angus
Campbell, Chief of Army
When we use merit as shorthand for a package of admirable qualities that we innately recognise, we devalue ‘merit’. Many studies confirm that we are drawn to those who think, look and act like us. This is a problem for women working in male dominated environments where there are deeply held beliefs and norms about who is suitable for leadership.