The Underrepresentation of Women in Executive Leadership Survey

OMB CONTROL NUMBER:  0701-XXXX

OMB EXPIRATION DATE: XX/XX/XXXX

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Bringing the Invisible Talent to the Table: The Underrepresentation of Women in Executive Leadership

This questionnaire measures senior leaderships' perception of the barriers that limited women opportunities to gain senior leadership positions using a 5-point Likert Scale. The qualifiers for this scale are listed per question below.

1. How often are you in a position to select women for leadership positions?

a. (1 – Never; 2 – Rarely; 3 – Occasionally; 4 – Often; 5 – Very Often)

2. How often are you in a position to select women for leadership development and/or training?

a. (1 – Never; 2 – Rarely; 3 – Occasionally; 4 – Often; 5 – Very Often)

3. How often do you mentor women?

a. (1 – Never; 2 – Rarely; 3 – Occasionally; 4 – Often; 5 – Very Often)

4. How effective is the Department of the Air Force development for women?

a. (1 – Never; 2 – Rarely; 3 – Occasionally; 4 – Often; 5 – Very Often)

5. Have you worked for a woman senior leader that was not successful as a leader?

a. (1 – Never; 2 – Rarely; 3 – Occasionally; 4 – Often; 5 – Very Often)

6. How often do you encourage women to apply for leadership positions, training, and/or opportunities?

a. (1 – Never; 2 – Rarely; 3 – Occasionally; 4 – Often; 5 – Very Often)

7. Are women senior leaders that you know are successful?

a. (1 – Never; 2 – Rarely; 3 – Occasionally; 4 – Often; 5 – Very Often)

8. Do you think there are benefits to have women in senior leadership positions?

a. (1 – Never; 2 – Rarely; 3 – Occasionally; 4 – Often; 5 – Very Often)

9. I have complete faith in women in senior leadership positions in the Department of the Air Force.

a. (1 – Never; 2 – Rarely; 3 – Occasionally; 4 – Often; 5 – Very Often)

10. Do you think women face more barriers to becoming a senior leader than men?

a. (1 – Never; 2 – Rarely; 3 – Occasionally; 4 – Often; 5 – Very Often)

11. Do you see different leadership characteristics in men than women?

a. (1 – Never; 2 – Rarely; 3 – Occasionally; 4 – Often; 5 – Very Often)

12. Do you push for systematic changes to develop more women for leadership opportunities?

a. (1 – Never; 2 – Rarely; 3 – Occasionally; 4 – Often; 5 – Very Often)

13. Are women in senior leadership held to a higher standard than men?

a. (1 – Never; 2 – Rarely; 3 – Occasionally; 4 – Often; 5 – Very Often)

Interview Questions

The purpose of this proposed research study is to explore the challenges, reasons or factors for the lack of women in executive leadership within the Department of the Air Force.

The U.S. Department of Defense is providing support for the research.

The U.S. Department of Defense personnel responsible for the protection of human subjects will have access to research records.

Demographic Questions

• What is your current position/title?

• How many years have you served in the Department of the Air Force?

• What is your race/ethnicity? – Hispanic, Black, or African American, White (Caucasian), Native Americans and Alaska Native, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander

• What is your highest level of education? HS Diploma/GED; AA/AS, BS, MS/MBA, PhD/DBA

• What is your career field?

• What is your gender? Male; Female

• What is your age group? 18-30 years; 31-40 years; 41-50 years; 51-60 years; above 60 years

1. Why is there a lack of women in executive leadership positions within the Department of Air Force senior executive service?

2. What actions or behaviors contribute to the lack of women in leadership positions?

3. What actions or behaviors contribute to helping more women gain leadership positions?

4. In what ways are women leaders developed differently than men leaders within the Department of the Air Force?

5. How do these differences impact the ability of women to gain executive leadership roles?

6. What barriers are present in the Department of the Air Force that women face in moving into executive leadership?

7. What elements are present in the Department of the Air Force to remove barriers women face in moving into executive leadership?

8. What can you do to help address the lack of women in leadership positions?