The 2024 Election between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris is extremely close. With House, Senate and gubernatorial races at stake, either party could gain considerable influence over the country’s laws and policies.
The policy and legal ramifications of this election will depend on how much power each party secures across the branches of government. But regardless of who wins, the professional landscape for women leaders will shift.
Here’s what women leaders can anticipate in the months to come, and what strategies can help them stay resilient and focused in their careers.
Women’s 2024 Election Victories Could Unlock Seats On Corporate Boards
When women win elections, it sends a message about society’s attitudes toward women in leadership. These victories can help convince boards that society as a whole views women as legitimate leaders. In turn, the shift in social norms encourages companies to add more women to their boards.
Electoral successes by non-incumbent women running against men caused large U.S. firms headquartered in the corresponding zip codes to add more women to their board of directors, according to an analysis of 365 House, Senate and Gubernatorial elections between 2004 and 2016. The researchers, professors at Rutgers University and Bucknell University, published their findings last year on the Social Science Research Network.
Women’s ballot box wins translated to even greater gains in the boardroom when they generated high voter turnout and received substantial media coverage, according to the researchers. The gains were also larger when decision makers on the board lived locally, allowing them to witness the enthusiasm for women’s leadership firsthand.
A significant number of women are bound to get elected in November. Women represent 27% of U.S. House candidates, 23% of Senate candidates, and 20% of gubernatorial candidates, according to Rutgers’ Center for American Women and Politics.
In places where women are expected to win, we can anticipate an increase in women’s representation on boards as companies respond to these societal signals, especially in races where voter turnout and media attention were especially high.
Beliefs About The Glass Ceiling May Shift
Obama’s election to the White House led many to believe that the U.S. had entered a post-racial era—one where Americans would increasingly make race-free judgments about their leaders. Could the outcome of the 2024 election change how we think of the corporate glass ceiling?
A Harris victory could shatter both gender and racial barriers, buoying the optimism of women, particularly women of color, in their careers and leadership possibilities. A Trump win, in contrast, may deepen pessimism that gender and racial gaps in the C-Suite will close anytime soon.
After Clinton’s loss in the 2016 election, many Americans concluded that the world was not yet quite ready for women in top corporate leadership roles—even as they remained personally remained committed to gender equity ideals and attitudes. This is what researchers at University of Queensland concluded from their survey of 165 U.S. residents 12 days before the 2016 election and of another 159 individuals 2 days after Clinton’s defeat. In the span of two weeks, participants’ ratings of women applying for leadership roles dropped significantly, whereas the ratings of male candidates did not change. A replication of the study in an experimental lab yielded similar results.
The outcome of the 2024 election will undoubtedly affect perceptions of women’s progress in leadership. A Harris victory could inspire women to pursue leadership roles with renewed confidence in the possibility that racial and gender barriers are finally falling. In contrast, a Trump win might lead some women to feel more hesitant about their chances of advancing in male-dominated and predominantly white spaces, reinforcing concerns about the persistence of gender and racial inequality.
Sexism And Verbal Aggression Likely To Increase
Women in corporate leadership can expect to be on the receiving end of more aggressive, uncooperative communication from some men. That’s because, regardless of who wins, the election will very likely amplify the undercurrents of sexism and racism that began in the aftermath of the 2016 election.
In negotiations with women, men began adopting more adversarial strategies after the 2016 election, according to Wharton Business School professors who conducted pre- and post-election simulations with University of Pennsylvania students. They found a 17.2 percentage point increase in the likelihood of men using hardline tactics against women in negotiation.
Similarly, while the most egregious forms of sexual harassment have declined since 2016, gender harassment became more pervasive by 2018, suggesting that shifts in leadership may influence workplace dynamics in subtler but equally damaging ways. In 2018, women reported more everyday occurrences of suggestive stories, offensive jokes, crude sexual remarks, and sexist comments than in 2016.
Women in the highest positions of power in their organizations and female business owners experienced the greatest increase in harassment, according to researchers at Leeds School of Business and University of Colorado, Boulder, who surveyed full-time working women in 2016 and again in 2018.
A Trump victory would likely worsen sexist attitudes, as the election of a leader with openly hostile sexist views seems to deepen already held ideological positions and associated behaviors, particularly among men, research shows.
In one U.S.-based study, Republican men embraced more traditional masculine ideals after the election, such as avoiding anything seen as feminine, suppressing emotions, prioritizing work, and taking risks. In contrast, liberal-leaning men became more likely to stand up against everyday sexist comments. Research from Spain echoed these findings, linking rises in sexist attitudes and support for far-right parties to backlash against feminist mobilization efforts.
Meanwhile, a Harris win may not eliminate sexist or aggressive communication toward women leaders, largely due to the growing ideological divide among men—where Republicans and Democrats diverge significantly. The quality of interactions with liberal men may remain stable under a Harris presidency, but the presence of a woman in the highest office could provoke considerable backlash from conservative men. These issues are likely to be compounded for Black and Latina women who face sexist but and racialized stereotypes in professional settings.
As I documented in an earlier Forbes column, men who feel more powerless view women as less legitimate candidates for leadership roles, propose paying them less, and show higher tolerance for gender discrimination and inequalities.
Post-Election Strategies To Keep Moving Forward
As the political landscape unfolds, here are three strategies to leverage your momentum, stay focused and remain resilient in your leadership journey.
Leverage Local Election Wins
Stay informed about high-profile races in your area, especially those with female candidates. When women succeed in visible roles, it signals broader social support for women’s leadership. Consider raising your profile in community and professional spaces to build on this momentum.
Ready Yourself For Bias-Driven Interactions
Prepare strategies to handle more aggressive and sexist communication from some colleagues. Practicing responses to hardline tactics can keep interactions professional and focused, helping redirect challenging conversations. Find support and learn how to be an ally by joining a mentorship group for women of color in leadership or LGBTQ+ women in business.
Stay Focused On Long-Term Goals
No matter the election outcome, don’t let it derail your ambitions. Continue to pursue leadership roles and push forward with advancement goals, knowing that the perseverance also builds up emotional intelligence, enhances creativity and can inspire others around you. You may also find strength in advocating for and preparing the next generation of women for leadership roles.
The 2024 election will profoundly influence the professional landscape for women, shaping leadership opportunities, interpersonal interactions, and stereotypes. Yet, regardless of the outcome, women leaders who continue to pursue their goals and prepare for the challenges again continue to have an essential role in redefining leadership norms.
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