"Who runs the world? Girls!"

Women in project management. That’s a fascinating topic for me. Out of curiosity, and some deep dives and long falls down the rabbit hole, I came across a March 2023 article titled “The State of Women in Project Management, 2023,” published by Project Management Institute (PMI), arguably the most well-known and well-respected professional project management associations. It’s a source of knowledge and offers the PMP - your surefire project management certification that’s globally recognized. Three key insights from the report: 

• Male project managers outnumber their female counterparts around the world and in every sector, but the gaps differ greatly by region and industry. 
• Women earn less than men and are slightly less likely to have a project management certification or a project management degree. 
• While there are far fewer women in the project workforce, they are only slightly less likely than men to have a leadership role. 

The first two are standard fare across several industries, so I wasn’t necessarily surprised to see these call-outs or the subsequent information detailing the above conclusions.

What I found curious? First, let me put forth what may be an unpopular or even stereotypical opinion: women are soooo much better at organizing. 🤷🏽‍♀️ We're the ones who find all the "lost" things in our households; we know our kids' schedules backwards and forwards six ways from Sunday + the timing it'll take to get from there to there and  back here in time for that and this; whose doctor's appointment is when; the upcoming concert we purchased tickets for three months ago; we  know ALL THE THINGS. (Okay, I’m laughing as I type this, but also kinda not?) I mean, all we have to do is turn to pop culture to verify this. TV shows, music, movies, etc. absolutely offer a fairly broad and sweeping viewpoint of social dynamics, but they do support the theory that art imitates life.  For example, consider many family-oriented sitcoms, and who it is that keeps the household operating smoothly? 

• Modern Family: Claire - absolutely Claire
• Everybody Loves Raymond: It ain’t Raymond! It's for sure Debra.
• black-ish: Rainbow all the way. 
• My Bestie’s house: Natalie. Natalie, yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

So in a field that prizes, at its most basic level, the ability to organize, orchestrate, and monitor a project, why is it that such a gap still exists?

Please note: I want to acknowledge that each of these household represent heteronormative settings. The examples above don't include households comprised of same-sex or non-binary parents only because we are then assigning gender norms to those who may not prescribe to those same ideals, and that is  a much larger and quite different conversation. I want to respect each person's named identity. Also, I don't believe in a “woman’s role;” the above part of  this post is solely a satirical examination of culture at home and in the workplace. I seek to be an ally to our LGBTQIA+ community in all ways, so please reach out if you'd like to have a deeper discussion around anything referenced.

Back to the gap. I don’t pretend to know the answer to the above question. But you know what I did find out? Five of the most prominent project management organizations, as defined by my super authentic, 35-second Google research time, are all helmed by men. If diversity is the goal, and we see a severe lack of representation as a challenge, wouldn’t a significant step forward rest in who’s leading the organization? 

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A Note on the Above Post

Please note: affirmative action is a leveling of the playing field. It focuses on equity (by the way, equity does not disregard qualifications. Such an approach would constitute a predefined ratio where everyone gets a trophy). Affirmative action, however, means access to the same resources, the same positions or opportunities, the same leadership openings, for every player on the team. We can have a conversation about any topic, including DEI, which I prize as the only way for humanity to move forward. That said, if you are anti-DEI, whether that's regarding gender identity, ethnicity, religion, socio-economic status, I ask that you only direct your comments to me personally and directly.