.png)
How Businesses Can Support Women in Leadership in the Workplace
This article was first published by the London School of Business & Finance, 26 March 2015.
The Women and Work Commission recently found that if all women were able to perform to their full potential, they could contribute approximately £23 billion to the economy. Additionally, research conducted by McKinsey & Company found that companies with more women on their boards significantly outperform companies with no female representation.
The need for role models
Leading women executives observe that specific obstacles continue to prevent women from rising to the top. One of these is the perception that women have of themselves, and how likely they believe it is that they can achieve their goals.
Anne Godfrey, Chief Executive Officer of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), said: “Having ‘real’ role models is essential as they make the possibility of achieving the same seem more obtainable. Add to that the desire to be there and the drive and ambition needed to reach that goal.
“Equally important is an environment that encourages diversity in all its forms and offers equal opportunities, and an even playing field, for senior female executives,” she added.
Commitment to gender equality necessary
Other high-flying women in business have echoed these comments, proposing that companies adopt diversity policies that empower women within the organisation and show a commitment to gender equality in the workplace.
“There is unconscious gender bias still in existence that will always be there unless we step up to consciously override the old patterns and assumptions,” says Dannie-Lu Carr, co-founder of The Five Gateways. “Companies need to fully commit to the investment and implementation of women’s leadership initiatives that empower the top talent and senior females within their organization. The responsibility to make this happen needs to be shared between both genders.”
It has also been suggested that there may be other factors leading to a lack of confidence that prevents women from combatting the ‘glass ceiling’.
“Women need the skills tha