| | 44% of men across the UK
think women in top jobs
are not unusual and that
men and women are equal,
contrasting with almost
half that - 23% - of
female respondents who
were asked the same
question in a survey by
PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP examining views on
women in business.
Despite the strong
belief of equality
progress amongst male
respondents to the
survey, almost a fifth
believe women will have
had to work harder and
longer than men to get
to the top in business.
39% of females - nearly
twice the level of male
responses - believe
women have had to work
harder and longer to get
to the top. The survey
was conducted amongst
almost 2000 people
nationwide.
Sarah Churchman,
director of diversity,
PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP commented: “It’s no
surprise that men think
that equality has
progressed more than
women. Some men don’t
realise what it’s like
to face a macho male
dominated culture in a
working environment. The
fight to the top gets
tougher all the time the
more squeeze companies
put on learning,
promotions, and pay
rises. Job insecurity
could reverse the
progress we’ve made in
equality because it
breeds presenteeism,
people protecting their
own work, and a tougher
fight to the top for
all.”
Only 11% of men
thought women were good
leaders and an
inspiration, nearly half
of what women believed
to be the case (20%).
12% of all respondents | |
|
| | said women had a
reputation for being
aggressive and
controlling, rising to
14% amongst London
respondents.
Sarah Churchman,
director of diversity,
PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP commented: “The City
has worked hard to shake
off its alpha – male
image and environment,
but the underlying
impression is still that
women have to battle
harder to get to the
top. It’s in our nature
to feel we have to prove
to ourselves, and others
we can do the job. But
in the process,
employers need to ensure
it’s not burning out the
best of our City women,
because it’s the economy
as a whole that suffers
when we reduce the
pipeline of future
leaders.”
The national survey
examined views on women
in the most senior jobs
in business, overall:
• 33% said they were
nothing unusual – men
and women were equal
(regional highest in
north east, Yorkshire
and east Anglia - 36%)
• 29% said women had
to work hard then men to
get to the top, and for
a longer period of time
too (regional highest in
the south west - 35%)
• 15% said they were
an inspiration to
others, and good leaders
too (regional highest in
Scotland - 19%)
• 12% said they had a
reputation for being
aggressive and
controlling (regional
highest in London -
14%)
• 3% said they were
there to make up the | |
| |
| | numbers, and not as well
qualified as men
Respondents from the
south west, Northern
Ireland and London felt
the strongest that women
had to work harder and
longer than men, with
respondents in Scotland,
East Anglia and Northern
Ireland praising women
the most for being an
inspiration. In London,
30% of respondents
believe women have to
work longer and harder
than their male
counterparts to get to
the top jobs, despite
the fact that 29%
believe men and women in
senior jobs to be equal.
20% of male
respondents, and 15% of
female respondents (17%
overall) believed men
and women should be able
to share their
maternity/ paternity
leave with their
partner, so as to more
equally share the load
of childcare and
careers. For a new
generation joining the
workforce, under 20
years of age, that
statistic rose to 28%.
16% of men, compared
with only 9% of female
respondents, said that
women who went back to
work without taking
their maximum maternity
leave entitled were hard
working, and deserved
respect.
Research by PwC last
year showed that 74% of
women believed the
recession will be an
opportunity to exit
corporate life – using
redundancy as a new
start, potentially
fracturing the pipeline
of women’s development
for leadership positions
in UK business. | |
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