Partner Article

Women in work: choice is the issue

Women and work has been a hot topic in 2012, with higher proportions of women with directorial roles in UK and a defunct EU referendum on gender quotas, this issue has gained much media attention.

The International Centre for Women Leaders (ICWL) at Cranfield University found that in the last year (upton January 2012), female activity on UK boards was increasing at a much faster rate than it has over the past decade, and 50% of companies in the FTSE 100 now have more than one woman on their boards.

Admittedly, the phrase “more than one woman” made as a celebration of female success in the top UK firms is somewhat depressing, however it is a start.

Ten more companies have women on their boards than in 2010, and in the 15 months up to January 2012, female held directorships rose by 15% in the FTSE 100.

Some shining examples of women in the highest ranks of Britain’s businesses include the glamorous Angela Ahrendts, chief executive of Burberry, and her chief financial officer Stacey Cartwright, Alison Cooper for Imperial Tobacco, and Dr Zaure Zaurbekova, chief finance officer for mining firm, Eurasian Natural Resources.

Recent figures from the Office of National Statistics have also shown that the average pay gap between men and women has narrowed by 10.2%, which is surprisingly the smallest gap since 1997.

The case of introducing quotas for women on boards has now been passed on from the EU to individual countries, and the UK is in the process of an inquiry into women in the workplace, with witnesses like The Apprentice’s Margaret Mountford, and founder of the 30% Club, Helena Morrissey, who is also chief executive of Newton Investment Management.

The argument made against the introduction of a 40% quota for women on boards is that it is a patronising step; as if capable women couldn’t, if they chose, get to the top without help.

Put down to individual states, European countries now have the ability to decide whether the female half of the population need or want this change.

On the launch of the UK inquiry, Adrian Bailey, MP and chair of the Women in the Workplace committee, said: “Inequality has no place in the workplace.Discriminating against female employees is not only unfair to women, it is detrimental to businesses and damaging to the economy.

“Complacency, inactivity and stereotyping can all act as barriers to progress.We need to know what steps have been taken to tackle gender inequality, what effect they have had and what more might be done.”

Whether the UK introduces a gender quota or not, and even whether women are discriminated against or not, the issue is having a choice.

What must be introduced is increased flexibility for all parents (both male and female), and complete transparency within the ways companies hire employees, as well as a removal of the obstacles women may face when trying to reach top directorial roles.

More than this, stereotypes must be fought against going into 2013, to allow women to forge their careers in any sector and at any level they choose, as long as they are more capable than their competitors, be they men or women.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Miranda Dobson .