Why It Doesn’t Have to Take Another Half a Century for Gender Equality in Leadership

Six Companies Are Already Doing It

Research from various sources, including the government, organizations, and scholars, has acknowledged that gender discrimination is a systemic issue at the governmental, societal, and organizational levels. Discussions have ensued as reports, research, forums, papers, symposiums, documentaries, television shows, movies, plays and music about the causes and solutions relative to the lack of female representation in leadership within various entities.

The truth of the matter is that we can talk until we are blue in the face. We can continue to figure out why things are the way they are. I get it — that’s the logical process to find a solution. But enough already. It’s time to address the elephant in the room and grab the bull by the horns.

The foundation of any type of discrimination is fear. Fear of

… losing control.

… losing money (greed).

… lack of opportunity.

… of the unknown.

… of change.

I could go on.

So should we continue figuring out why women are underrepresented in senior leadership? Write a paper, ignore what needs to be done?

That’s what happened with the Glass Ceiling Commission. The report described gender discrimination, outlining its levels and offering solutions. There were slight gestures by some companies-they reviewed their policies-before the topic faded quietly into the sea of politics.

And now here we are again. We’re back at trying to figure out why women are underrepresented, and searching for possible solutions. Don’t get me wrong. We still need research and platforms to make the public aware, dispel excuses and push reform. But more has to happen.

Leaders of S&P 500 companies have expressed commitment to increase female representation in senior leadership at their companies. However, they’re only about 5% female CEOs at these companies.

I’ve listened to arguments that this is a significant improvement over the past 20 years. They insist that change is happening, but it takes time.

I respectfully disagree.

Change takes action at every level: government, society, and organization. Here are examples of companies who have taken action and made parity happen:

According to data from Ledbetter—a research group that maintains a global database tracking women’s representation in leadership roles at consumer brands and corporations—eight companies have achieved gender parity in leadership, or come remarkably close:

The Gender Equality Index
(Female representation on company’s board and executive team)

Data: LedBetter; – March 7, 2018.

The government in countries, such as Norway, France, The Netherlands, and Italy have taken action by adopting gender quotas to help achieve gender parity within corporate organizations. Arguments abound whether quotas is a reasonable action. Nonetheless, it is a decisive action taken by leadership to resolve a problem.

Communities have also established initiatives such as grants and volunteerism to support programs addressing gender issues. Again, these solutions may not be the only answer to eradicate discrimination; but it’s a decisive action.

Enough with excuses about why females are underrepresented in the C-Suite. It’s past-time to take aggressive action to make the workplace a level playing field for everyone.

Let’s get it done.

Reflection:

What decisive action will you take to make gender parity in senior leadership a reality?

References:

Catalyst (1993). Successful initiatives for breaking the glass ceiling to upward mobility for minorities and women. Retrieved from Cornell University:

Cornell University (n.d.). Glass ceiling commission. Retrieved from: http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/glassceiling/

The Economist (2005, July 21). The conundrum of the glass ceiling: Why are women so persistently absent from top corporate jobs? Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/node/4197626

Glass Ceiling. (n.d.). In Reference to Business online encyclopedia (2nd ed.). Retrieved from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/encyclopedia/For-Gol/Glass-Ceiling.html

Ledbetter (2016). The Gender Equality Index. Retrieved from Ledbetter: http://www.getledbetter.com

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (1995). Glass ceiling commission issues report: Discrimination still deprives women and minorities of opportunities. Civil Rights Monitor, 8 (1). Retrieved from

United States Glass Ceiling Commission (1995). A solid investment: Recommendations of the federal glass ceiling commission – making full use of the nation’s human capital. Retrieved from Department of Labor: