Encouraging gender parity in high-ranking positions can help an employer retain and attract talent
Rola Seifeddine, Head of The Access Bank UK’s DIFC branch
The debate on men and women and their respective roles in society has long been the source of many disagreements. While some argue that men and women are inherently different and thus should perform different tasks, others believe that biological differences do not determine mental capabilities. Each camp has long fought to supersede, in an attempt to impose its vision on the world. Needless to say, the winning party was the one that claimed women are natural caregivers and men are bread winners. Logically, this has granted greater visibility for men in the public space.
Although John Gray claimed that men and women came from different planets however, there are fundamental truths that govern human relations and needs. This becomes very evident in an office setting. Regardless of their gender, men and women primordially strive to survive. This is what drives their actions and interests. Therefore, there is an equal need to participate in the workforce to be able to afford a living. Beyond this need or right, lies a fundamental aspiration for accomplishment. This very same aspiration drives the ambition of most working individuals. In fact, they all aspire to grow in their respective careers and hold higher positions.
To this day, although, women have made some positive improvements, one cannot say that there is equal allocation of roles in high ranking positions. According to Grant Thornton’s 2018 Women in Business report, women hold under a quarter of senior roles across the world. Moreso, 2018 recorded a decrease in female representation in high-ranking positions. Yet, achieving gender parity in senior positions is crucial not only to instill positive branding as an employer but also to boost productivity and innovation.
A diverse workplace holds an immense potential for any company or institution. As a matter of fact, it constitutes a wide knowledge pool that can be drawn upon to extract the necessary skills to help the business grow and prosper. Having employees with different educational and professional backgrounds can enrich the workplace with various know-hows. What’s more, women have accumulated higher degrees than men, which constitutes a competitive advantage when it comes to hiring a woman over a man for a high-ranking position.
The latter can be achieved through increased specialisation of individuals so as to improve productivity and the overall quality of operations. In fact, as the division of labour shifts towards a specialised workforce, decisions can be determined with greater swiftness and at lower risk of failure.
Along with a diverse decision-making panel comes innovation. The coming together of people of different professional, educational and personal backgrounds means different ways of perceptions and consequently distinctive responses. Triggered by different stimuli, employees will develop unique solutions. In addition, the gender diversification will establish various communication channels. This is all the more important as both genders tend to have different communication styles that can be used in dissimilar occasions to yield a different result.
Most importantly, encouraging gender parity in high-ranking positions can help an employer retain and attract talent. Having the chance to be part of an institution that can foster growth as an individual and endow trust in a company’s talents, can in turn strengthen employees’ loyalty.
As a woman who had the opportunity to grow and reach a high-ranking position, I believe that every woman deserves the chance to shine, because, as Maya Angelou rightly said: “We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.” We are all capable of succeeding if given the right opportunity.