WHAT’S HOLDING WOMEN BACK

ARTICLE REVIEW

Submitted by: GROUP-1, SECTION-APADMANIHARIKAISHASIRAJGAURANGSAURABH

WHAT’S HOLDING WOMEN BACK?

BARRIERS TO ADVANCEMENT

• Based on a survey conducted by CATALYST, a research and advisory organization committed to advancing women in business.[2003]

• The article is about the challenges women face in advancing to the highest levels of corporate leadership.

OBJECTIVE

• To understand the reasons for slow rise of women into senior line positions like chairman and CEOs.

METHODOLOGY

• Catalyst surveyed Fortune1000 CEOs and women executives at the vice president level and above.

FINDINGS

• Exposes some of the deep disparities between female executives’ and CEOs’ perceptions about the barriers to women’s advancement.

• There are a multitude of individual, cultural, and organizational factors that executive women feel block heir advancement.

BARRIERS CITED BY RESPONDENTS [Agree or strongly

agree] FEMALE

EXECUTIVES

• Exclusion from informal networks [77%]

• Stereotypes about women’s roles and abilities[72%]

• Lack of mentoring[63%]• Lack of role models [68%]• Commitment to personal

or family responsibilities.[67%]

CEOs

• 43%

• 51%• 49%• 49%

• 35%

FEMALE EXECUTIVES• Failure of top leaders to

assume accountability for women’s advancement.[68%]

• Lack of opportunities for visibility [51%]

• Ineffective Leadership style[16%]

• Lack of skills to reach senior levels[13%]

CEOs

• 58%

• 35%

• 31%

• 24%

• Although three-quarters of women respondents were within two reporting levels of the CEO, stereotypes about women’s abilities still persist.

THE BARRIER ON WHICH BOTH AGREE

• Lack of general management or line experience.

WHY WOMEN DON’T RISE INTO SENIOR LINE POSITIONS?

• Women aren’t aware that such positions are open to them.

• They may be discouraged from pursuing these roles by colleagues and superiors.

• Women simply aren’t on the slate when succession decisions are made.

THE INDIAN CONTEXT

• There are women who have taken on the entire world-Indra Nooyi, CEO, Pepsico, Naina Lal Kidwai, MD, HSBC India, Pragya Raman, group executive president of Aditya Birla Group- to name a few.

• It is also estimated that women entrepreneurs presently comprise about 10% of the total number of entrepreneurs in India, with the percentage growing every year.

• Despite all this feel-good news, Indian companies seriously lack women in senior management roles.

• According to a study[2006], only 26.1 percent of the listed companies (392 of 1,500 firms) have a woman on their boards.

• Out of the 278 directors on the BSE Sensex companies, there are only 10 women directors.

• Apart from this, women executives in India earn 40 percent less than what men earn over their entire career.

• Even when compared to global counterparts, corporate India stands below average.

• Only 36 percent of Indian companies have women holding senior management positions as compared to 91 percent of companies in China.

THE DOUBLE BIND FACED BY WOMEN

• A research shows that when a woman is assertive and takes charge, people often react negatively, but if she fulfils the prescribed stereotype of being a kind and gentle woman, she may be regarded as a poor leader.

THE CHANGING SCENARIO

• Some of India’s top companies are now giving specific mandates to head-hunting firms to fill middle and senior management roles with women candidates.

• Bharti Enterprises and American Express have mandated their recruitment agencies to have a certain percentage of women candidates at the interview stage.

• While American Express asks for at least one-third representation among those appearing for job interviews, it is 25-30% for Bharti Enterprises.

• These efforts of promoting diversity are being appreciated in the corporate world.

INFERENCE

• Glass-ceiling metaphor is oversimplified.

• Glass walls [Lateral barriers] exist : Limit women’s job potential almost from the beginning of their careers.

• Main problem: Top leadership’s failure to ensure that women get the profit-and-loss experience.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE

• Aggressive and effective efforts to change business-culture norms and move women into leadership roles.

• The CEO should build a strategic vision and business case for gender diversity.

• Set concrete goals to meet the commitments.

• Hold management accountable for achieving diversity goals.

• The families of ambitious women should support them in pursuing their careers. The so called family burden being shared by both the partners equally.

CONCLUSION

• The change is underway, albeit slowly.

THANK YOU