Behind the Power Curtain: Gender Dynamics and Unseen Wars

Power struggles are not always loud. In fact, they are often whispered behind boardroom doors, concealed in policy interpretations, or coded into the everyday decisions that shape workplace culture. For many women, particularly in Male-dominated sectors, the battle isn’t just about progress, it is to be acknowledged without punishment for just existing.

Across corporate and public sectors alike, we are seeing renewed scrutiny on internal cultures that have long protected certain norms. Recent headlines in the UK have drawn attention to allegations of misconduct, ranging from racism and misogyny to sexual harassment within some of the country’s most revered public institutions. While I do not intend to single out any organisation, the timing is urgent for senior leadership teams across the board to deeply interrogate what they have tolerated and what they now choose to transform.

The Weight of the ‘Old Boys’ Network

The phrase ‘old boy’s club’ Is more than a colloquialism. It describes a psychological stronghold, an informal power structure that upholds male camaraderie at the expense of inclusive progress. Research conducted by King’s College London in 2022 found that over 74% of women working in traditionally Male-dominated sectors had experienced some form of exclusion from decision-making processes, not due to lack of skill but due to informal gatekeeping by senior Male colleagues.

This dynamic is further entrenched by unconscious bias A factor that affects promotion, perception of leadership capability and even whose voices are heard in meetings. When women do ascend to positions of authority, they often find themselves balancing assertiveness with likability in ways their Male peers are rarely required to.

When Misogyny Becomes Institutionalised

Beyond exclusion lies something more insidious: institutionalised misogyny. This is where the culture does not just omit women – it actively undermines them. A 2021 report by the Fawcett Society revealed that two-thirds of women in the UK have experienced sexual harassment at work and in sectors with rigid hierarchies and a history of Male dominance this figure rises.

Hostile environments, ‘locker room’ banter and retaliatory behaviour against whistle blowers all contribute to a culture where silence becomes the currency of survival. Worse still many women who report wrongdoing are subtly- or-overtly punished for breaking the unspoken code of silence. It is not uncommon for the victims, rather than the perpetrators, to be isolated or moved to different departments under the guise of ‘organisational restructure.’

The Mental Cost of Power Imbalance

Psychologically, the impact is profound. Studies from the British Psychological Society have shown that women in these toxic organisational cultures suffer higher rates of anxiety, burnout and emotional fragmentation. When a woman must constantly scan her environment for subtle forms of hostility, be it dismissive tones, eye-rolls or being spoken over, she diverts energy away from innovation and leadership into preservation.

Moreover, the psychological toll is not just individual, it becomes systemic. An organisation that tolerates such climates loses not only talent but integrity.

Cultural Reform Is Not Opt-In Anymore

The tide is turning. With increased public scrutiny, organisations can no longer rely on private apologies and internal reshuffles. This is a time of reckoning and it demands bold leadership – not just performative change. Leaders who are truly committed to equality must interrogate their organisational DNA: not just what they say about values but what they actually enforce and reward.

What’s needed now is not just ‘equality training’ tick boxes, but deep, transformational education that tackles root psychological structures, like power addiction, defensive groupthink and unconscious bias embedded in daily practice.

Solutions Grounded in Psychologistics

As the Founder of Psychologistics, I have designed a series of advanced courses that bridge Psychology leadership and ethical reform. These programmes are not surface-level interventions, they are bespoke transformations, grounded in real-time organisational dynamics, informed by neuroscience, trauma research and systems thinking.

We help leaders:

• Identify covert power imbalances and shift conflict without public shaming.

• Address emotional illiteracy in leadership through advanced empathy training.

• Map the ‘hidden architecture’ of influence within organisations using systemic constellations.

• Design trauma-informed, dignity- driven environments that reduce attrition and conflict.

For sectors currently under reform, this moment represents not just risk but opportunity. An opportunity to lead the nation by becoming models of what ethical inclusive leadership can look like in action.

What Progressive Leadership Requires

Change requires courage – but not chaos. Rather than ‘naming and shaming’, we offer a constructive re-framing: naming and reclaiming the higher potential of leadership. When senior officers, managers or public service executives are given safe yet rigorous spaces to understand their implicit biased and cultural blind spots, accountability no longer feels like punishment – it becomes power’s true evolution..

This isn’t about demonising men. It’s about inviting men and women alike into co–healing processes that restore trust, purpose and honour within the workplace.

A Final Note to Those in the Eye of the Storm

If your organisation is in the headlines or close to it, consider this your moment of reinvention. True strength lies not in denial or PR spin but in radical reflection followed by meaningful action. Those brave enough to lead this charge will not only retain public trust, they will inspire it.

To those navigating the hidden wars of power, know this: change begins where truth is not punished but welcomed.

To learn more about our bespoke leadership and transformation programmes please contact us directly for a private consultation.

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