Women are rarely held back by a lack of ability. More often, they face working conditions that make it harder to step into leadership. In an interview with Authority Magazine, NEWTON University Chancellor Anna Plechata Krausova identifies five practical changes that could bring more women into management.
Anna stepped into university leadership shortly after becoming a mother. Rather than putting her professional ambitions on hold, she relied on flexible working, accessible childcare and an equal division of parenting responsibilities. Her own experience showed her how strongly working conditions can influence whether a woman is able to accept an opportunity to progress.
In the Authority Magazine interview, she argues that encouragement alone is not enough. Women need genuine authority to make decisions, opportunities to gain leadership experience, access to mentoring and inclusion in informal professional networks. Flexible working, reliable childcare and greater involvement from fathers are equally important.
Her fifth priority is to challenge unrealistic expectations. Women cannot be expected to be perfect leaders, mothers and partners simultaneously. Parenting should be treated as a shared responsibility, with both parents’ careers taken equally seriously.
Anna also reflects on her academic journey through the London School of Economics and the University of Oxford, the creation of NEWTON in Oxford, her work mentoring students and the role of education in the age of AI. She believes universities should become gyms for the mind, helping people retain their curiosity, judgement and capacity to think independently.
Read the full interview with Anna Plechata Krausova in Authority Magazine.
