Breaking the Glass Ceiling is always associated with women moving into boardrooms, or becoming CEO of a leading company
It is more than that!
This summer while we enjoyed 90 degrees, I read Sheryl Sandberg’s best selling book ‘Lean In’. I am recommending to my students to read it.
The CEO of Facebook talks about her career, maternity leave and her responsibilities in the boardroom. A great read with humour, compassion and business and academic thoughts for women in business
Lean In has spent 21 weeks and counting on the New York Best Seller list.
In the last six months the percentage of female directors appointment to FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 boards have slipped to 26 per cent from 29 per cent, research from Cranfield International Centre for women leaders.
The financial companies in the City have very few at the top of financial companies, still a Glass Ceiling to Break. Mark Carney the new man at the helm of the Bank of England, says he wants to see a CEO of a leading bank, I might add he is the best paid Central Banker.
Business areas where women are generally more represented in boardrooms are fashion, public relations and health care.
In a number of countries boards have to have representatives of women on them, a leading female chief executive Helena Morrissey, CEO of Newton Investment Management said the rules from Europe were not needed in Britain, she feels British firms are making good progress in this area.
Sir Roger Carr of the CBI employers were aware of the concerns of the slowdown of women reaching boardroom levels, he was not keen on Brussels for a quota system, saying such measures would do nothing to address the root causes of this issue. There are many views on the subject.
In the legal industry which has defined way of progression through qualifications and experience, women could expect to take home a starting salary of 20,000 a year, whereas a man graduating in the same discipline would have a annual salary of 28,000, a big difference, pay needs to even out.
Good women leaders are vital for British business, the best CEO I worked for was a women.
James Knight is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors London
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Interesting read!
Quote: “Business areas where women are generally more represented in boardrooms are fashion, public relations and health care.”
There should be more areas where women can become represented in boardrooms. It is stupid that there is still a “glass ceiling” between men and women. In my opinion women may have some unique strengths in leading a company that are still undiscovered. We should give them the change to fully develop themselves in every area of business. So it is an equal match-up between men and women.
Thanks for this article
Paul