The number of women holding senior posts in politics, law and the media has fallen in the last year, according to a report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. In 12 of the 25 job categories it studied, there were fewer women holding top posts.
The report has reignited discussion about how to nurture talented women and support their progression to senior positions. Development specialists advocate mentoring, coaching and 360 degree feedback. Equality and Diversity champions emphasise the importance of policies and procedures that promote equality of opportunity.
The success of any of these interventions depends on whether they address the real reasons why women aren’t in senior positions in the first place. Are women really lacking in leadership capacity and hindered by unfair progression processes?
What if women are simply choosing not to take senior positions because they don’t want them and not because they can’t do them?
A lot of women are walking away from corporations and institutions because they want to live and work differently, not because anyone is forcing them out.
Sahar Hashemi, co-founder of the
Coffee Republic chain
Michelle Feeney is CEO of St Tropez, a leading UK beauty company worth over £80 million. She believes that talented women are leaving to set up their own companies rather than bend to fit the mould required of them. Government statistics support this view, suggesting that the number of women starting their own enterprises has increased by almost 20% since 2000. 70% of those polled by the 2008 YouGov survey said that working more flexibly was their greatest motivation for taking the leap.
The real losers are not women but the organisations they are leaving behind. So what can you do about it? The real challenge for your organisation is to be an attractive option for talented people, whatever their gender. Good women, and men, might just stay with you if:
- Working relationships are genuine and free of political posturing
- Success is measured by outcomes, not hours on the job
- Partnership working is seen as a strength, not a weakness
- Business gets done at work, not over beers with the boys.
Culture change is a tricky business and more complex than leadership development, but those that are brave enough to tackle it will reap the rewards.
Kate Tapper is Director of Bud Development, a consultancy that supports organisations to cultivate a better working culture.