It is a subject area that is consistently at the forefront of the workplace and affects how businesses develop. It is very common to see that the male species lead the organisation forward, but that is not because women are incapable of doing so, it is because there is still an issue with inequality at the top.
Have you ever thought about the FTSE 100 and S&P 500 and in those companies how many are led by women? Take a look at Towergate Insurance’s latest Female CEO data. Make your guess by clicking on the icon and see if your estimate is correct; it is amazing what you will find out.
Females worldwide have a growing concern that the gender gap for pay is still not shifting, as Towergate reveal in the data men earn substantially more at the top. In fact, men earn upwards of more than £2 million more. So what issues contribute to the inequality and are there barriers to success? Some factors come down to an unsupportive workplace, the balancing of wanting a family for women, inadequate training and stress barriers. Many females believe it is just being female that is the only problem, even if they have 40% more experience in management they are still not considered above a male due to gender.
So how can perceptions change, positive changes improve the barriers and how can businesses promote gender equality? If a family plan is a hindrance to success for women then perhaps a workplace could develop on-site child care facilities. If experience is not being taken seriously within an organisation, perhaps a policy can ensure what a set of amount of experience qualifies you for, an equal benefit for both. Furthermore, companies can look at gender equality training; the more the issue is discussed, the more awareness there is to break barriers.
Females are finding it harder to survive, due to the some of the negative perceptions out there and how businesses have become set in their ways. However, the times have changed, and women are more than ever capable leaders and a huge success for business, which many companies are learning from, and this helps to change perceptions, which is a positive way forward to levelling the ground between men and women in the workplace.
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