Vorsprung durch Frauen
It’s good to hear gender equality being talked about widely again, especially by people in my age group (30+). I’ve overheard many a discussion – and of course took part in them – and the central point is always the same: the higher you climb on the job ladder, the manlier the air. Organisations like the OECDand the ILO agree.
We at Forum for the Future are in a privileged position: four of the seven members of our senior management team are women. I know that I am incredibly lucky to have four different role models I can look up to and, believe me, my girlfriends envy me.
It’s very clear that this is quite unusual. For example, for two whole weeks I was the only woman present in all my external meetings. When I was a kid my dad said to my sister and me that we’d need to be better than men to go the same distance in the professions we chose. I always laughed and said women make up 50% of the population, when I grow up, surely, I won’t have to worry about gender issues anymore. Well… I was wrong.
It’s not just a matter of equality, there’s also the content women bring. The humble, award-winning astrophysicist Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell aptly put it in the recent BBC documentary ‘Great Minds’: “Women simply bring a slightly different view of the world to the table”.
Some businesses do share this view. René Obermann, Chairman of Deutsche Telekom, said earlier this year: “We’ll simply be better with more women at the top.” This wasn’t just rhetoric. Since March 2010 Deutsche Telekom has set a target of at least 30% women in senior management. This is supported by a substantial HR implementation programme: university recruitment and selection processes, talent pools and internal high-potential development programmes are now all geared to reach this target. The business has also enhanced its policies on flexible working, parental leave (in Germany both parents share a chunk of ‘maternity’ leave), childcare.
Here in the UK, Kingfisher has started to report on the number of women in management positions. But the overall picture is bleak. Cranfield University reported in its annual FTSE Board report that in 2009 only six of the FTSE 100 companies had 30% or more women on their Boards. Sixty-three companies had one woman, or none, on their Boards.
I think that programmes like those at Deutsche Telekom will help women in my generation to overcome barriers to gender equality and, ultimately, bring more women into the boardrooms.
There are other gender-related postings on this Forum blog - for example from Sara Parkin. But, so far, we at the Forum haven’t systematically addressed gender issues in our work. Interestingly both Deutsche Telekom and Kingfisher report on gender through their sustainability programmes. So they see gender equality as a part of the sustainability picture.
Should we do the same and routinely encourage all our Partner organisations to work towards a quota of 30% of female Board members? Or even go beyond this number? Norway, for example, has a government quota of 40% for all public companies. Or should we at the Forum stay well clear of this debate? I’d like to hear your views.
Comments
If Forum for the Future don't start to tackle gender inequality then there really is no hope!
But I don’t think a quota system is the right way to address this. It isn’t getting to the root of the cause.
I recently attended an event that intended to provide a supportive space for women to inspire and network within the clean technology space. The proposition was that there are too few women in clean technology and one way to tackle this was for women to support each other.
The event was one of the most depressing evenings I've had for a long time.
Not because there weren’t many inspiring and interesting women.
But because the entire panel - all at the top of their game - argued that you cannot possibly be successful in business and have a family life (have a stable relationship and babies). Each one talked about the sacrifices they had made to get to the top, and not one of them said that they would like to change this, now they are at the top, for the next generation of women.
When asked who their female role models were, not one of them could name a successful woman in clean tech.
It seems to me so obvious that we have to start changing the working culture that expects this choice. Men sharing the child care and domestic duties, and a change in expectation that to be successful means working crazy long hours. If there was an attitude that it isn’t the hours you do but the results you achieve this would take a lot of pressure of women. Of course there are times when you have to work long hours, or even years when you do, in order to achieve. But this shouldn't be the working norm.
Another observation I have made is that men are better at playing the part at work that lead to promotion. Men often act more professional and competent even if they aren’t. I've observed so many times my male colleagues - looking, sounding and acting professional and in control. I've noticed so many women being more honest about their flaws, not taking the credit for work or not putting themselves forward for promotion. I’ve noticed how often men support each other more at work - whereas women tend to spend time inquiring after colleagues wellbeing.
This is nothing to do with the nature of men and women. There are plenty of women who are highly professional and impressive. So I think there is a change that needs to come from women. Women need to start demanding more at work and those who have reached a position of authority should do everything they can to create the right atmosphere for women to flourish.
One of the problems I have is that the discussion always starts with the wrong question: "What's Wrong With Women" This is particularly the case when men are leading the discussion, but quite frequently women also take that route. The question of course should be "What's wrong with my company that I can't attract, retain, engage, develop and support the clever women I have working here and move them up through the ranks". I keep hoping we've moved beyond the "Let's Fix Women" debate, and then discover that we really haven't.
I recently attended a Women in Europe Business event organised by Deutsche Bank. A great event, 2,000 women attended, and 150 men. And there were some great speakers telling us how fantastic we are, how we can change the world, and how we can make a difference - do you know what? I'd love to have seen that presentation delivered to 2,000 men, and 150 women. We already know how good we are!
We need to move past the "gender" issue being a "female" issue. The gender issue is about both men and women - and we all need to talk to each other to make change happen.
Dear Ilka,
I couldn't agree more - and even though I am not sure that a formal quota in itself will erase informal power inequalities, it might serve as a short term (well, 20 years or so...) catalysator and would probably raise awareness. I wonder also how necessarily different world views could be seen even more as something to strive after - and not as problems? A challenge for HR management, Organizational theorists and not to forget Social Anthropologists...
Best, Kerstin
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