The job market is brutal for women executives

It's a brutal time for women executives and others who don't neatly fit the stereotypical ideal of a leader.Why it matters: Not only has the zeal for diversity that's defined the past decade faded, but backlash from the White House has made firms even less willing to take risks on "nontraditional" candidates, including women, people of color and LGBTQ+ people.The big picture: For years, executive recruiters were asked to find diverse slates to fill the top spots inside U.S. companies, moving up the numbers, if only slightly, inside these firms.That's not happening anymore, says Lindsay Trout, a partner and talent consultant at executive search firm Egon Zehnder, who finds candidates at the C-suite and board level for large companies.How it works: A board running a search for a CEO will draw up a list of specifications for candidates.They might say, "We're looking for public company CEOs who are in the tech industry at companies that are at X scale," Trout explains.Go with those specs and "you end up with a list that inevitably excludes females from consideration." It would be like looking for someone to head an NGO and only considering those with experience as a U.S. president or secretary of state.Zoom out: For a few years, firms would also say they would like to consider a "diverse slate" so you could bring in other qualified candidates with potential who did not exactly meet the criteria."Now that is not part of the conversation or expectation," Trout says."I took my pronouns out of my resume," an editorial leader who was recently hunting for jobs tells Axios, asking for anonymity to speak freely while still searching.They decided to "tone it down," feeling like being too openly queer was hurting the search. They locked down a contract job soon after making those adjustments, though it was not clear if that was a factor.Zoom in: There was rising backlash and some fatigue at the board level even before President Trump took office in January and made ending DEI efforts a priority."People are generally satisfied with the progress that they have made," Trout says.Context: After a surge of appointments in 2020 and 2021, companies are now naming fewer women and people of color to their boards, Axios reported last year.Some firms have started to reverse course. At Meta, women make up 23% of board directors. Just a few years ago in 2022, that figure was 44%.Over the past year, no women CEOs were recruited into Fortune 500 firms. The ones who nabbed that top spot were internal hires.Between the lines: The process of looking for diverse slates did drive some resentment and likely hurt some men."It probably is true that equally as compelling white male talent didn't get the nod" for board roles, Trout says.Reality check: Many large companies have continued to defend DEI efforts, at least from shareholder attacks.Not all firms have walked away from this work, says Jennifer McCollum, CEO of Catalyst, a nonprofit that advocates for women in the workplace.Scaling back entirely from DEI can lead to increased risks on the legal side, as well as talent loss and reputational damage, she says.The bottom line: Companies are "adjusting, thoughtfully," McCollum says.

Comments

World news

Air India plane crash killed all 242 on board as authorities confirm no survivors

Express

Comments

World news

Air India plane crash killed all 242 on board as authorities confirm no survivors

Air India: I watch planes take off every day – this is my theory for what caused crash

Air India release details of pilot and crew on doomed Gatwick flight after horror crash

Russia bomber fleet on brink of collapse as Ukraine pulls off another major attack

Dreamliner involved in Air India crash had never crashed before

Mapped: the 37 cities where anti-ICE protests have erupted across the US

Coinbase adds former top Obama and Harris adviser Plouffe as it broadens its political reach

Watch: Moment London-bound Air India flight crashes shortly after take-off

Why is LA protesting? 700 Marines set to be deployed on streets as curfew hits Los Angeles

Air India Flight 171: Everything we know as passenger plane destined for London crashes

Turkish far-right politician accused of inciting hatred goes on trial

Kosovo has accepted a request to shelter third-country migrants a year from the US

Bruce Springsteen's Berlin concert echoes with history and a stark warning

45 minutes to pack up a lifetime as Pakistan's foreigner crackdown sends Afghans scrambling

Rescuers in South Africa search for the missing after floods as the death toll rises to 57

The UN nuclear watchdog’s board of governors finds that Iran isn’t complying with its nuclear obligations, diplomats say

3 killed and scores injured as Russia targets Ukraine with new attacks

Sudan’s paramilitaries seize a key area along with the border with Libya and Egypt

Japan and China trade blame over Chinese fighter jets flying close to Japanese planes

UN agencies say a violence-hit part of South Sudan is on the brink of famine

EU court says Italy not responsible for Libyan coast guard actions over boat sinking

Australia's defense minister downplays concerns over Pentagon review of multi-billion submarine deal

Indian authorities attempt to tow container ship on fire with dangerous cargo

Argentine President Javier Milei receives Israel's Genesis Prize

Iran says it will create a new uranium enrichment facility after a vote at the IAEA

Istanbul mayor boycotts court hearing in one of many cases that could see him banned from politics

Austrian school shooter planned attack in detail but motive unclear, police say

Second-class dads: The fathers who are fighting to be in their children's lives

BREAKING: Air India plane carrying 242 passengers crashes into a 'doctors' hostel'

Ontario woman convicted of defrauding doulas gets prison sentence after breaching probation

Everything we know about the Ahmedabad to London Air India AI171 plane crash

How the looming threat of Israel bombing Iran could lead to all-out war

11 foods packed with both fibre and protein (including toast)

What people in their 20s and 30s think of Labour’s winter fuel payment U-turn

Your iPhone is about to get uglier

Fire on cargo ship sparks fears of 'ecological disaster'

Moments before Air India plane crash

Trump administration reviews submarine deal with the UK and Australia

Air India Flight 171: Inside doomed Boeing Dreamliner that crashed in horror fireball

Air India flight 171 crashed into student dining room with 'multiple injuries'

Air India pilot's chilling last mayday call before horror crash with 53 Brits on board

Harrowing footage shows exact moment Air India flight 171 explodes in fireball

King Charles and Queen Camilla issue personal message after appallingly tragic shooting

Who was on board Air India 171 flight? Passenger total revealed including children

Air India flight heading for London crashes with more than 240 on board

Chretien, Alberta’s Smith to speak at conference ahead of G7 summit

Flight carrying 242 people bound for London has crashed in Ahmedabad, India

Live Updates: Passenger Plane Crashes in Western India With 242 Aboard

Air India’s New Owners, the Tata Group, Have Been Trying to Upgrade and Expand the Carrier

U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem Braces for Possible Israeli Strike on Iran

UK to sanction Israeli ministers over 'monstrous' Gaza comments

Deadly disease outbreak sees urgent travel warning issued in dream holiday hotspots

My friends on the Madleen were captured by Israel. I feared for their safety

Why is LA protesting? Trump deploys Marines and National Guard after immigration raids spark major unrest

Aid cuts push global funding down by a third in 2025, UN data shows

Student allegedly stabs school assistant to death in France

High school graduate facing ICE deportation weeks after earning his diploma: ‘I was just living my life’

US-China trade talks ‘going well’ as meeting resumes for second day in London

Three young sisters dead and their army vet father wanted for murder: All we know about the Travis Decker manhunt

Doctor mistakenly implants wrong embryo in IVF patient mix-up