Women held back in business claims report

A new report shows that the majority of women believe that there is a glass ceiling deterring them from getting senior positions in business.

The survey, of 3,000 members of the Institute of Leadership and Management, showed that 73% of women questioned believed that there were barriers which prevented businesswomen getting on although only a third said that they themselves had been held back. The report, entitled Ambition and Gender at Work, also suggests that women are less clear over their future career progression than their male counterparts, as over half of male managers said they had a clear idea of their future direction compared to just 45% of women bosses. Among under-30s just 30% of women expected to become managers compared to 45% of men.

Penny de Valk, chief executive of the institute, said that part of the responsibility lay with large organisations themselves. She said: “It’s not that women are risk-averse; younger women in particular are incredibly ambitious around entrepreneurial activity. Yet we can see that a promotion path within a large organisation is almost seen as riskier for them, on a personal basis, than going out and setting up their own venture.” Speaking shortly before a review by Lord Davies, which will report back on whether UK businesses should impose boardroom quotas for women, De Valk said that such a move would be an admission of failure and that employers can take action now by setting voluntary targets for female representation.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/feb/21/women-glass-ceiling-still-exists-top-jobs