Why are so many men (and often the wrong men) still in charge?

YOU know the expression all mouth and trousers? According to the Harvard Business Review, this term may now be applied with scientific accuracy to quite a few men.

Specifically, the ones in charge. If you are a woman — you may long have wondered just why exactly so many men are in charge, rather than the world being a bit more even handed. Especially when so many men in charge — politicians, financiers, business leaders — have had such an impact on the economy, the ecology, and the lives of ordinary people.

This is not some sexist rant, I promise. Sexist rants are old school and boring. But when Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, expert in psychological profiling and psychometric testing, wrote in the Harvard Business Review blog about his findings on why women are under represented in management, these findings turned out to be a bit worrying. It’s more than the glass ceiling, unfortunately. It’s the plausibility of human beings to allow shouty types to be in charge, irrespective of their competence. And guess what — shouty types tend to be overwhelming male. All mouth, all trousers.