The Psychometric and Neurochemical Limits of Gender Equity in Executive Environments and the Corrective Role of SIHVs
The ongoing corporate pursuit of gender equity — particularly at the executive level — has become a focal point of public relations, governance policy, and organizational development. While this push toward parity often assumes a level playing field between men and women, psychometric and neurochemical research suggests that there are innate, evolutionary-based asymmetries between male and female candidates in direct competition. This essay outlines the biological and psychometric factors contributing to these disparities and argues for the implementation of Structured Internal Value Hierarchies (SIHVs) as a targeted tool to mitigate this imbalance, particularly for high-performing female executives.
The Evolutionary Basis of Gendered Competition
Male and female competition in corporate settings can be analogized to two distinct evolutionary strategies. High-performing male executives typically present a psychometric matrix marked by above-average openness to ideas, general mental ability (GMA), extreme industriousness, high assertiveness, and lower baseline levels of politeness. This combination — resembling an "offensive fighter" archetype — has deep evolutionary roots in male competition for resources and dominance through predatory aggression.
In contrast, while female executives may match or exceed their male counterparts in openness to ideas, GMA, and even industriousness, evolutionary constraints tied to assertiveness differentiate their competitive toolkit. Evolutionarily, female assertiveness was more closely aligned with defensive strategies — protecting offspring and maintaining social cohesion — rather than with proactive dominance-seeking behaviors common in male evolutionary history.
The Neurochemical Disadvantage
Central to this disparity is estrogen, which plays a pivotal role in shaping female neurobiology and behavior. Estrogen modulates the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and hypothalamus, promoting affiliative, empathetic, and nurturing behaviors (McEwen & Milner, 2017). It enhances sensitivity to social cues and is closely linked to the oxytocinergic system (Carter, 2007), fostering trust and social bonding — traits associated with agreeableness rather than agentic assertiveness.
Estrogen also downregulates dopamine activity in the mesolimbic reward system (Becker & Hu, 2008), potentially reducing motivation for reward-seeking and dominance behaviors compared to men, whose dopaminergic systems are more heavily influenced by testosterone. Additionally, estrogen increases serotonin receptor expression (Bethea et al., 2002), lowering impulsivity and aggression — traits directly tied to assertiveness.
As a result, the capacity for immediate, aggressive action — a hallmark of assertiveness — is often subdued in women, particularly in environments requiring high-stakes, offense-driven competition for executive roles.
Cyclic Fluctuations in Assertiveness
Assertiveness in women is further modulated by hormonal fluctuations across the menstrual cycle. Studies show that assertiveness may peak slightly around ovulation due to transient increases in testosterone (Durante et al., 2008), yet these effects are generally weaker compared to male testosterone-driven assertiveness. During the luteal phase, elevated progesterone and estrogen levels are associated with lower risk-taking and diminished assertiveness (Maner & Miller, 2014).
These biochemical patterns create a temporal disadvantage, where female assertiveness is not only baseline-limited but fluctuates over time, making consistent competitive aggression more difficult to sustain compared to male counterparts.
The Assertiveness-to-Action Gap
In psychometric terms, assertiveness is the catalyst that transforms ideation into execution. A highly intelligent individual may generate numerous strategies for advancement, but without assertiveness, these ideas are unlikely to translate into concrete action. Male executives, with typically higher baseline assertiveness, are able to operationalize a greater proportion of their ideas, delivering more decisive and frequent competitive maneuvers — akin to executing more successful "strikes" in a zero-sum contest for executive roles.
The Combat Metaphor and Gendered Framing
The competitive landscape for leadership positions inherently favors an "offensive" frame, where candidates vie for limited resources (e.g., promotions, strategic control). In this paradigm, male assertiveness aligns with predatory aggression, while female assertiveness, shaped by evolutionary pressures, is more naturally suited to "defensive" contexts—protecting existing assets rather than pursuing new ones.
The Corrective Role of SIHVs
Structured Internal Value Hierarchies (SIHVs) offer a powerful cognitive reframe for female executives. By embedding personal and professional motivations within a singular, monotheistic value hierarchy, women can reinterpret high-stakes competition not as an opportunistic “hunt” but as a “defense” of personal or familial stability.
Reframing the pursuit of executive roles as protecting long-term goals (e.g., securing financial security for one’s children or defending a family legacy) activates defensive aggression circuits more aligned with female neurobiology.
Empirical observations within SelfFusion-led projects have shown that female leaders utilizing SIHVs demonstrate a marked increase in assertiveness, resilience, and follow-through — narrowing the competitive gap with male counterparts. While SIHVs cannot entirely eliminate the biological asymmetry, they provide a psychologically sound mechanism to elevate female competitive action within male-dominated environments.
Conclusion
The science of leadership competition highlights a sobering reality: men and women, despite equal potential for intelligence and industriousness, often operate under fundamentally different biological constraints when assertiveness is key to success.
While organizational initiatives aimed at gender equity often underappreciate these psychometric and neurochemical realities, SIHVs offer a strategic corrective. By equipping female executives with an internal framework that cognitively repositions competition as a mission aligned with defensive evolutionary mechanisms, SIHVs help unlock previously untapped assertive potential.
Ultimately, the path to true equity at the executive level may not be found in denying evolutionary and biological differences, but in developing targeted psychological tools to transcend them.
Some of the References used for the Article
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Carter, C. S. (2007). "Sex differences in oxytocin and vasopressin: Implications for autism spectrum disorders?" Behavioural Brain Research, 176(1), 170-186.
Becker, J. B., & Hu, M. (2008). "Sex differences in drug abuse." Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, 29(1), 36-47.
Bethea, C. L., Lu, N. Z., Gundlah, C., & Streicher, J. M. (2002). "Diverse actions of ovarian steroids in the serotonin neural system." Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, 23(1), 41-100.
Roney, J. R., & Simmons, Z. L. (2008). "Women’s estradiol predicts preference for facial cues of men’s testosterone." Hormones and Behavior, 53(1), 14-19.
Maner, J. K., & Miller, S. L. (2014). "Hormones and social monitoring: Menstrual cycle shifts in progesterone underlie women’s sensitivity to social information." Evolution and Human Behavior, 35(1), 9-16.
Durante, K. M., Li, N. P., & Haselton, M. G. (2008). "Changes in women’s choice of dress across the ovulatory cycle: Naturalistic and laboratory task-based evidence." Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34(11), 1451-1460.
