Even as female leaders become more confident in their abilities, gender stereotypes continue to shape perceptions of what makes an effective leader — especially when it comes to future-facing skills, such as artificial intelligence and data analysis.

A new Capgemini Research Institute report titled Gender and Leadership: Addressing Bias, Opportunity and Change, released on Wednesday, warns that such biases could reinforce the leadership gap at a time when technology is redefining what leadership means.

The global study of 2,750 leaders in 11 countries found that three in four men and women (77%) now believe women are as effective as men in leadership roles – a major shift from previous trends when women often underestimated their abilities.
Confidence levels were also balanced, with 58% of women and 59% of men citing confidence as a key strength. More than two-thirds of respondents (68%) believe that having more women in leadership positions leads to improved business performance.

However, beneath this progress lies a stubborn bias.

Nearly half of male respondents view critical future leadership skills, such as the use of artificial intelligence, automation, innovation and data analysis, as “inherently masculine.” In contrast, most women view these skills as gender neutral, with more than a third even describing innovation as “inherently feminine.” Both groups acknowledge that mastery of AI is essential for career advancement, but less than half (45% of women, 47% of men) consider it a personal strength. “As technologies like AI continue to disrupt today’s business environment, leaders, regardless of their gender, must equip themselves with the skills needed to navigate and shape the future of their jobs,” said Sarika Naik, Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer at Capgemini. Stereotypes distort perceptions of leadership skills and thus influence the career advancement of male and female executives. If bias is left unaddressed, it can also widen the gender gap in the workforce. “Organizations must work to disrupt these biases through increased training and intentional systemic interventions to build truly inclusive leadership cultures,” she added.

The report also highlights how women and men face barriers linked to gender bias.

More than half of women (53%) say they have experienced negative pay bias because of their gender, while 40% of men admit they have had a pay advantage. Only half of leaders (52%) believe men and women have equal opportunities for promotion, and 39% say qualified women are still overlooked in leadership roles.

Interestingly, the study found that men also feel stressed, with 38% citing poor work-life balance as the main obstacle to career advancement.

The findings, based on responses from leaders in 10 key sectors, suggest that while gender equality has improved in perception, biases around technology and leadership could be the next big barrier to boardroom equality.