Give woman managers a chance at last
Men are joining the debate about equality at work - but there’s still a long way to go
WOMEN’S Month is upon us. This time of the year is a great reminder of the need to take collective action to empower those who remain marginalised.
In the world of business, the gaps are evident, with women occupying only a fraction of all management positions. The fact that most initiatives are focused on helping us get to a representation of merely 30% means we have a long way to go before we can achieve the ideal of 50% of managers being women.
On the topic of closing the gender pay gap, the latest numbers from the World Economic Forum show that it will take at least 118 years to bring women’s pay up to par with that of men — and it does not help that no progress has been made in this area since the global financial crisis of 2008.
Fortunately, there are numerous global initiatives to challenge different countries to increase women’s representation in senior positions.
Leaders such as Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer at Facebook and author of Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead, have made great strides in ensuring that this topic remains top of the agenda.
She wrote: “We cannot change what we are unaware of, and once we are aware, we cannot help but change.” By continuing to increase awareness of this topic, many business and political leaders of all genders worldwide are starting to challenge themselves on how to increase the levels of women’s representation in management.
It is inspiring to be living in a world where the conversations about women’s challenges and opportunities in business now include men. After all, there is limited value in discussing how to improve the conditions of women in the workplace — without including the voices of those who are, after all, the leaders driving the continued discrimination against women.
It is also inspiring that the conversations are no longer about how women need to act more like men to succeed. The fact that one gender held all management positions does not mean that their approach is more effective than one which comes more naturally to women.
I hope more and more people warm to the realisation that achieving equality in the workplace is something that makes logical sense.
If we continue living in a world where roughly 85% of management positions are held by men, the human race in its entirety will continue to miss out on the benefits that come from including the views of the other half of the population.
Research continues to prove that the inclusion of woman leaders can contribute significantly to an organisation’s bottom line.
For example, a study of the history of the performances of Fortune 500 companies by Catalyst — a nonprofit organisation dedicated to accelerating the inclusion of women in the workplace — found that businesses with higher than average numbers of women on their boards achieved 16% higher return on sales and a 26% increase on invested capital.
These numbers change to 84% and 60% respectively for companies that sustain their level of woman representation.
Many wonder why these companies outperform their peers. The benefits that come with diversity are contributing factors.
But beyond that, we need to challenge ourselves to learn, understand and appreciate the way women lead compared with men.
One trait is women’s ability to be more effective leaders than men in times of change.
It is no coincidence that Britain has chosen a woman prime minister at a time when the economy needs a turnaround plan to recover from the financial fallout from Brexit. Neither is it a coincidence that the US has chosen its first woman presidential candidate.
These are milestones — especially when one considers that more than 85% of political representatives around the world are men.
The pressure on economies, especially in the low-growth environment in South Africa, means that many organisations are under pressure to employ turnaround strategies designed to help businesses make it through the hard times.
Let us not repeat — once again — the same old mistakes. This time, let women managers and executives take the lead.
It was Albert Einstein who said: “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking that we used when we created them.”
Our economies and businesses are the way they are now because they have always been led by men. Time to try a different approach.
One trait is women’s ability to be more effective leaders than men in times of change