Leadership | The Authority Gap – Mary Ann Sieghart

Hi All,

I came across The Authority Gap through a business leader's YouTube recommendation, and honestly, the title alone made me pause. We all know there are workplace dynamics at play, but Sieghart's research puts hard numbers to what many of us have witnessed but couldn't quite articulate.

What it's about: The Authority Gap exposes the systematic undervaluing of women's expertise and leadership through comprehensive research and data. Sieghart examines the resistance to women's authority and power, revealing how unconscious bias operates in everyday professional interactions—from boardrooms to classrooms to the highest courts. The book marshals evidence showing that women have to work harder than men to earn the same authority, whether through expertise or leadership positions.

Executive Summary for Busy People: Women's authority is systematically undermined through interruptions, expertise challenges, and credibility questioning that men rarely face. The book demonstrates how the same confident behavior that benefits men often backfires for women (being accused as too aggressive, too much, too bossy, too loud, too difficult, bitchy, too dominant, etc.), creating a double-bind where assertiveness is punished but passivity is ignored.

What Sieghart Uncovered

This isn't opinion—it's data. Sieghart systematically documents how women's expertise and leadership get undermined in ways that would shock you if you saw the patterns laid out clearly. We're talking about unconscious bias operating everywhere from Fortune 500 boardrooms to Supreme Court chambers to university lecture halls.

The core finding? Women have to work significantly harder than men to earn the same level of authority, whether through demonstrated expertise or leadership positions.

The Numbers Don't Lie

Here's what the research actually shows:

• Supreme Court Reality Check: Female justices get interrupted four times more often than their male colleagues, with 96% of those interruptions coming from men. Think about that—we're talking about the highest court in the land, and even there, women can't finish their sentences.
• The Leadership Pipeline Leak: Most organizations start roughly 50-50 male-female at entry level, but somehow end up predominantly male at the top. It's not a talent issue—it's a recognition issue.
• Competence Assumptions: Here's the kicker—research shows people automatically assume men are competent until proven otherwise, while women have to prove their competence before anyone grants them authority. Same résumé, different starting line.
• Expertise Questioning: Women's professional knowledge gets challenged more frequently, even in their own areas of specialization. Imagine being a 15-year expert in your field and still having to defend your basic credibility.

The Strategic Response

The book goes beyond just identifying the problem. Here are the tactical approaches that actually work:

• Amplification Technique: Get allies to repeat and credit your ideas in meetings. Sounds basic, but it prevents idea theft and reinforces your contribution.
• Pre-Meeting Coalition Building: Brief your supporters on key points beforehand so you have backup when—not if—you get interrupted or challenged.
• Lead With Credentials: Don't build up to your expertise; lead with it. "As someone who's spent 15 years researching this area, here's what the data shows."
• Strategic Interruption Management: Instead of stopping when interrupted, use phrases like "Let me finish that thought" and keep talking. Reclaim your conversational space.

Real-World Examples

Sieghart documents a banker calling a 50-year-old accomplished journalist and former Times editor a "busy little girl." This isn't ancient history—this is happening now, in professional settings, to highly credentialed women.

Instead of accepting expertise challenges passively, the book suggests responses like: "I've spent 15 years researching this area—let me share what the data shows." Or in meetings: "Building on what I started to say earlier..." Don't let your points disappear.

Why This Goes Beyond Individual Skills

Here's what really clicked for me: men benefit from appearing confident, while women showing identical behavior often face gender-biased pushback. It's not about being more confident or more competent—it's about navigating a system that responds differently to the same behaviors based on who's displaying them.

Why Every Leader Needs This Intel

This research explains talent pipeline leaks that cost organizations their best people. If you're on boards wondering why diversity initiatives aren't translating to leadership representation, or if you're a CEO committed to inclusive leadership, this book provides the data-driven playbook you need.

For women in leadership roles, it validates experiences you've probably had but couldn't quantify. For allies, it shows you exactly how to be more effective advocates instead of just well-intentioned bystanders.

I am not suggesting these are great excuses for a victim mindset to be justified, but equally, we should be able to acknowledge what we are dealing with and the current landscape for female leadership and talents as is instead of trying to deny them. The authority gap isn't going away on its own. But once you can see the patterns clearly, you can start building systems and strategies that actually address the root causes instead of just hoping things improve.