Pexels.com- Photo by The Lazy Artist GalleryMeta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently stirred controversy during an interview with Joe Rogan, stating, “A lot of our society has become very… neutered or emasculated.” His remarks sparked a larger debate on the role of masculinity in business leadership and corporate culture.
Zuckerberg’s comments come at a time when conversations about gender dynamics in leadership are more prominent than ever. Historically, business leadership has been dominated by men, with Fortune 500 companies still seeing about 90% of their CEO positions held by men, despite increasing female representation.
“For starters, let’s define what we mean – or rather, what Zuckerberg meant – when he used the terms ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine,’” says former lawyer, journalist, and current entrepreneur Melissa Saleh. “Our society equates each word with a certain set of characteristics and actions. For ‘masculine,’ we equate strength, power, decisiveness, order, and predictability or lack of change. Which means when we call things ‘feminine’ we are really equating it to ‘weakness, timidity, flightiness, lack of stability, and chaos.’ Both are vast oversimplifications, as well as gross mischaracterizations of what it truly means to be ‘male’ or ‘female.’”
Zuckerberg has argued that businesses need to return to an era of aggressive masculinity, stating, “Masculine energy is good, and obviously, society has plenty of that, but I think corporate culture was really trying to get away from it. I think having a culture that celebrates aggression a bit more has its own merits that are really positive.”
Saleh, who previously worked with Facebook and Zuckerberg, challenges this perspective, arguing that equating masculinity with leadership success is a flawed assumption.
“The fact that men have ruled the game for so long does NOT mean they are superior at it. It simply means they’ve had far more shots on goal,” she states.
Indeed, historical precedence does not necessarily equate to superior ability. Saleh asserts that until women have the same number of leadership opportunities as men, it is impossible to claim that a traditionally ‘masculine’ approach to leadership is inherently superior.
“Until women have the opportunity to have as many shots on goal, it is utterly fallacious to say that ‘masculine’ ways of leadership are superior to feminine. You lack the data to prove it. An engineer should really know better.”
The debate over leadership styles—whether traditionally seen as ‘masculine’ or ‘feminine’—continues to be a contentious one. Many studies suggest that diverse leadership teams, including a balance of traditionally ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ leadership traits, lead to better decision-making and overall company success. Qualities such as collaboration, adaptability, and emotional intelligence, often categorized as ‘feminine,’ are increasingly recognized as critical leadership skills.
Zuckerberg’s remarks highlight the tension between traditional corporate leadership ideals and evolving workplace dynamics. While aggressive leadership styles may have been historically prevalent, today’s corporate world increasingly values a broader, more inclusive range of leadership attributes.
As more women continue to enter leadership positions and redefine what successful leadership looks like, the question remains: Is the key to business success an embrace of so-called ‘masculine’ aggression, or is it the ability to blend diverse leadership styles that foster sustainable growth and innovation?
About Melissa Saleh:
Melissa Saleh is a serial entrepreneur who has spent her career at the intersection of technology and storytelling.
In 2020 she cofounded FairPlay AI. Prior to that she created and executed narrative strategies for companies including Facebook, Google, Citibank and GE. After founding the content strategy firm Brick Wall Media in 2013, she built up a roster of Fortune 500 clients and worked extensively with early-stage companies to develop their mission, voice and brand narrative, then communicate them powerfully to the world. She has worked extensively as a journalist and editor for legacy media outlets like the New York Times and Huffington Post.
