Getting promoted

Is the Glass Ceiling real?
I don't deny the existence of the so called 'glass ceiling' - the remarkable lack of women in the most senior roles in business across the developed world cannot be a coincidence.

But I don't like the term because it has become associated with a perception of helplessness. I believe that if we are truly to help more women to become business leaders - we need to encourage a much more honest debate about some of the reasons why they are not today. This means exploring why women are often their own worst enemies as well as appreciating the already well-versed limitations around childcare.

Currently the term 'glass ceiling' is used broadly to describe the blocking of women from attaining senior positions in business. The basis of this seems to be the numbers of women on boards of large companies. These small numbers raise images of frustrated bands of talented women banging fruitlessly on the boardroom door demanding entry, held back by a male conspiracy and antiquated ideas to parenthood and childcare. I don't think this tells anything like the whole story - and further I believe that if we are to do more to ensure young women see business as an attractive career option then we need to throw the doors open on the of the less frequently discussed reasons why women avoid top jobs.

However we can't ignore the data. Lord Davies in his report talks about the dramatic drain of the female workforce and the real risks that poses to the future economic health of the nation. As you can see in this infographic attached, although there is real gender equality at the more junior levels of the business, this tails off dramatically as we rise through the ranks. This creates a 'talent gap' - the nature of the problem being not just an absence of women at the top but also a very limited pipeline of candidates.

As things seem to be making slow or no progress on their own, the issue of quotas to increase the pool candidates is increasingly being discussed including by the current government. Lord Davies wants to stop short of regulation, preferring to raise awareness and 'shame' big business into putting women onto boards. Other countries have already chosen to regulate and Norway and Sweden are often cited in the British media as examples of quotas working.

There is a voiciferous lobby amongst women to avoid quotas - most women I know are appalled at the idea that they might be given a job solely on the basis of their gender. I cannot see this working in the UK - a culture where the idea of gaining positions of power without earning the right to them is widely frowned upon.

But those in favour say the ends justify the means - it may not be the best option but it may be the only one. For now, the PR campaign is doing an effective job at keeping the issue in the news.