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How Can We Get More Women Into Top Jobs?

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How Can We Get More Women Into Top Jobs?

This article was first published in The Guardian online, 4 May 2015. Read the original article here.

The fight for gender equality must start early
“I still meet a lot of women and men who believe that boys should be brought up in a completely different manner from girls,” says Dasha Amrom, founder and managing director of Career Coaching Ventures. The panel agreed that both schools and families have a role to play in teaching young girls that no door is closed to them.

“Parents have a key role in raising their daughters in a way that allows them to believe they can be anything – and by anything, they should spell out that if they want to be a corporate super star, it’s just as fine as being a ballerina or a soccer player,” says entrepreneur and business coach Farnoosh Brock.

Watch your language
“We still find versions of the long-observed language problem for women,” says Sheelagh Stewart from the Fawcett Society. She cites a few examples, such as “he is a leader, she is bossy. He is dynamic, she is pushy.”

Changing the way we talk about successful women would be a huge step forward in the fight for equality. Fighting bias – conscious or unconscious – is impossible when traits that are celebrated in men are seen as negative for women.

“Girls and women are constantly negotiating the double bind; they must be careful not to be too assertive and pushy but also not to be too tentative and self-deprecating,” says Professor Judith Baxter of Aston University. “Negotiating this middle way is hard work and those who make it to executive positions do this well.”

Find a sponsor – and let men play a role
“While skills training and mentoring are important at different times more and more we are seeing the importance of having a sponsor, that is someone who advocates for you internally,” says Jane Dennehy co-founder of the Gender Hub and director of What Could I Be.

Career mentors and sponsors are a huge asset, and their advice and support can help you climb the ladder that little bit faster. Your sponsor doesn’t have to be a woman: it’s important to remember that men have a strong role to play in creating a more gender-balanced workforce. “Something I get stuck with is that women, who suffer from discrimination, are often asked to fix it. How can we make the case to men so that they too join this struggle?” asks Stewart.

Male champions and s