Gender equity still a challenging puzzle

Respected global consultants McKinsey & Co. recently weighed in on the debate about gender equality in business, particularly in large corporations. “. . . progress is painfully slow. Despite modest improvements, women are underrepresented at every level of today’s corporations, especially in senior positions,” the September 2015 article reported.

The McKinsey report points to a set of factors underlying this. First, was the lag effect of senior corporate leaders only relatively recently setting goals for achieving gender equity, something that will over time create positive change.

Then there are the complex factors underlying the slow move to gender equity. McKinsey point to a lack of focussed mentoring; the negative effects of maternity leave and ongoing parenting responsibilities; and the selection process for leaders in some large corporates not reflecting diverse leadership styles.

Within McKinsey & Co. themselves, they admitted change had been steady but slow, with women representing about 39 percent of McKinsey’s entry-level hires but only 11 percent of the senior-leadership roles within the firm. Their article pointed to greater reporting and visibility being key to them creating a more gender balanced workplace.

Visibility has been key for Pivot clients who have decided to tackle gender balance issues. For example, award winning employer Sky City have introduced special gender pay dashboards for their managers, to make any unconscious bias visible and focus them on rewarding strong performance.

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