If you think women have “arrived” think again. Here are the amazing thoughts of Lynda Gratton, Professor of Management at the London Business School and award-winning author (www.lyndagratton.com). This formed part of a February 2010 Economist magazine debate on the progress of women.
As the academic director of the Centre for Women in Business at London Business School I was able to take a close look at the facts and also to engage in four separate research studies. We discovered what other researchers had found before us. Here are the headline facts.
- While 50% of graduates entering most companies are women, only 30% of these make it through to management, and only 10% to the top.
- Women rarely receive the same pay as men doing a similar job. In some sectors, such as the banking sector’s bonuses, this can be as low as 20%
- Women continue to do the lion’s share of domestic duties: child rearing, cooking and cleaning, and general management of the home.
- Women represent on average 30% of the population on fast-track career programmes.
- Women are rarely found on the career paths that are escalators to the top.
So pretty depressing stuff. Certainly not as awful as the experiences of my mother and grandmother, but nothing to suggest a revolution has taken place. Yes, women get to the top, but in very limited numbers and often only when they are exceptionally talented and/or hard-working. … [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][she concludes] I believe that the key that will unlock the career ladders to men and women is the realisation that being a human means taking responsibilities for others—and senior executives are not exempt from this. Interesting what will force this change will not be women choosing to behave more like men—but rather men choosing to behave more like women.
For the full article go to http://economist.com/debate/days/view/454[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]