(More) Women In Business!

So... I apologise that it's taken me much longer than I might have hoped to get back on the blog, but I couldn't let the recent International Women's Day and the publishing of the McKinsey report 'Women Matter' pass too far by without adding my observations. So this isn't directly retail related- but as our industry employs a lot of women, hopefully you'll still find it relevant.

You are probably already aware of the controversial headline statistic from that report: that whilst 55% of university graduates in Europe are female, women still only occupy 12.5% of FTSE 100 company board positions. This seems unforgiveable and such a wasted opportunity. But I don't need to preach about the benefits of having women at senior levels in industry- the results speak for themselves, as the report confirmed- company boards and management committees with more women simply have the best performance, and generate 'a richer set of ideas',

The real issue is understanding what is happening here, and crucially- what we can do about it.

I don't doubt that an element of this is due to discrimination resulting from still deeply entrenched sexism at senior levels within business; as an anecdote from Cherie Blair at a recent Google event ('Women Who Inspire') demonstrated. She regaled the audience with the story of the Davos World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in which the overwhelming male delegates were issue with 5 plus ones, and instructed that the fifth should be a woman (obviously to improve their opportunity for the same high level access, visibility, and networking opportunities that this somewhat old boys club already enjoy), and the astonishingly high number who chose to only bring four (male) delegates with them rather than find a women to offer the fifth invitation to. But I don't think this is the whole story.
It's also well known that previously 'high flying' career women come crashing back down to earth, and out of the running for the rum jobs, after they have children. This is of course by choice for a lot of women, as this major life event forces us to re-evaluate priorities and our work-life balance, and many decide that family life is more important. But I suspect that for even more women, this slowing down (or complete standstill) of a previously fast moving and rewarding career is simply due to the lack of flexible options at senior levels, to allow women to balance a senior role with parenting responsibilities.
There are so many ways in which companies could facilitate a more flexible working week for mothers that would enable them to still perform at a high level at work whilst still being able to be as involved at home as they needed to be. Some might argue that options such as part-time work, compressed weeks, job-shares, flexible start/finish times, or working from home, mean that mothers aren't able to achieve as much in the role, are not as committed, or 'aren't working as hard', these arguments are simply a distraction from the real goal- ensuring that all the knowledge, expertise and the skills a woman has developed and honed throughout her working life, are not lost to the company as soon as she enters that delivery suite.

Finally, I wonder how much of the problem lie with ourselves as women, and the innate traits that many of us apparently share, as more and more evidence suggests that femalemisplaced modesty and self-deprecation about our achievements and abilities, and a sometimes debilitating lack of self belief, is what hinders many of us in reaching for (and getting) those senior jobs, whilst male colleagues with more confidence and less caution, aim higher and get further. We can learn something from this approach, trusting more in our own abilities, taking a few chances and lets face it, being a bit more ballsy, in order to get where we want to in our careers.

Perhaps you're wondering why I haven't mentioned the contentious quotas that are already in place in some part of Europe and may come our way if we can improve those percentages? Well, if this is the only way we can get more women on the board then I reluctantly support them, but as a last resort. Quotas are patronising, and even worse, mean that any women who does succeed in reaching a high level in their career may well always get a sideways glance from colleagues questioning whether they got there on their own merits or are simply making up the numbers- and that would be a terrible shame.


Let hope that by next year's International Women's Day, we've managed to improve the situation without having to consider this option...

Smells Like Entrepreneurial Spirit

See All Her Faces is going to gloss over the impact of the recent election until we actually know who has won it (!!!) and move swiftly on.
This week sees the launch of a new BBC show- High Street Dreams, in which successful entrepreneur Jo Malone helps budding businesses launch their new products successfully in a competitive retail environment.

This show is significant at the current time. Providing support for small businesses is all the more important in a hostile economic environment, as such enterprises can provide lifeblood to a thirsty economy. They have the ability to be adaptable, and agile, evolving to meet changing requirements, and as such are less reliant on for example huge turnovers, or a high number of corporate accounts, or simply things staying exactly as they are, to survive and grow.

But more importantly for me, I'm hoping this show providing us with another high profile female role model in retail business, where we still have so few. This is particularly troubling as retail has a majority of women at lower levels of organisations (employing women to men in a ratio of 60:40), but somewhere along the way they are not making it to the top jobs- despite the fact that arguably "shopping is a female domain and in most households it is the women who make the key purchasing decisions". Retail Week

Of course, as is the case in most industries, this is likely to in part be because women make lifestyle choices (in terms of taking time out, or reduced work commitment to have children or manage family life) that preclude them, either by choice or involuntarily, from the most senior of posts. The retail environment, and certainly lower level retail salaries, are still less supportive of the sort of flexible arrangements that family women require to be able to take career breaks or reduce hours to support family life, whilst also, or subesquently, progressing their careers to the most senior of levels.

But there are probably other issues at play in our industry. There may be a perception issue, such that women are predominatly seen as 'product people', with more to offer in the range selection and creative decision-making processes, than on the Board. It is likely that a lack of self-belief, which is more common in women than men, may also preclude them from putting themselves forward for the most key rules.
Perhaps it's also the fact that the status quo of male-dominated Boards and recruitment processes also put women at a disadvantage when trying to break through the glass ceiling, and proving that they can be as tough as men when it comes to the difficult decisions, and also in demonstrating that the unique qualities that women can bring to senior management, in terms of empathy, thoughtfulness and so on, are equally as valuable.

Or perhaps the guys on the Board are simply the best for the jobs out there currently?!

Anyway. This is not to say that we cannot be proud of many very successful women in our industry. Women like Kate Bostock at M&S, Kate Swann of WHSmith, Jane Shepherdson at Whistles, Mary Portas, Michelle Mone of Ultimo, all spring to mind as shining examples of women at the top of their game in retail, which brings me back to my original excitement at seeing Jo Malone on TV this week.

The more successful female role models we have in retail, proving that with hard work, self-belief, and of course talent, women can rise to the top, the easier it is for the rest of us- to be motivated to achieve, to believe we can do it, and to challenge the status quo, for a brighter future for women in retail.