📰 1LV Round up: Once a month we bring you a selection of articles, interviews and news that will make you think about gender equality and women in the workplace. ⬇️
Excellent women are overlooked for top roles
It’s referred to as the authority gap. Women don’t just come up against the glass-ceiling, other invisible barriers are also at play – and one of these is the way they are perceived. Women are often viewed as less competent or authoritative, even if they hold the same position or have the same qualifications as male counterparts. It’s a topic the Financial Times has returned to in an Opinion Management piece. They quote Mary Ann Sieghart, author of The Authority Gap: ‘If women are routinely undervalued, underestimated, patronised, not listened to as much as men, interrupted or talked over more than men, [having] their expertise disproportionately challenged and… their authority resisted, they are not going to progress at the same rate as their male colleagues.’
The world’s top companies for women
The Forbes 2024 list of the World’s Top Companies for Women is underpinned by robust data. Forbes partnered with Statista, the market research firm, to survey around 100,000 women working for multinational corporations across 37 countries. To qualify, each corporate group was required to operate in at least two of the world’s six continents. Survey questions included: whether they would recommend their employer to friends or family; to rate the organisation on both general workplace practices and gender-specific issues including gender pay equity, management’s responses to female discrimination concerns and whether men and women have the same opportunities for advancement within the company.
ADHD and women in the workplace
There’s a long way to go before ADHD can be freely talked about in the workplace. That’s according to a new study by Takeda, the biopharmaceutical firm. It revealed 83 percent of women surveyed believe there is a stigma associated with the neurodevelopmental condition that can affect behaviour. ‘Although we are now seeing an increase in awareness of ADHD, approximately 50-75 percent of women remain undiagnosed and there is still a lack of understanding of the condition,’ said Amanda Kirby, chair of the ADHD Foundation. ‘This is especially true in the workplace.’
Push for gender quality on world stage
Anneliese Dodds, the UK Development Minister, outlined priorities for gender equality and announced funding to boost women’s economic and social empowerment during a visit to Washington DC. The October visit was part of the Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and IMF. The Minister announced a £7.5m investment and support beyond that, in the World Bank’s Umbrella Facility for Gender Equality (UFGE). The facility supports the generation of high-quality data and evidence to address gender inequality and boost women’s economic and social empowerment. The UFGE has received funding from the UK since 2012. Funding has benefited many women, including half a million women in Rwanda who were found to be losing rights over land due to not having marriage certificates. ‘We are playing a leading role with the World Bank to improve the lives of women and girls around the world.’
How the 1LV WE+ Measure is impacting women in the workplace
The One Loud Voice WE+ brand is all about Women and Equality and so much more. The three core pillars of work are: WE+ Measure, which is all about best practice metrics; WE+ Engagement, which is about gender partnerships; and WE+ Support which is advisory and coaching. The WE+ Measure allows organisations to measure their gender equity inputs against established best practices that achieve gender equality outputs. It benefits the organisation and the women who work there. It’s game changing. To find out more visit https://www.oneloudvoice.co.uk/benchmark
History footnote…
It’s 125 years since Nancy Astor – the first lady of British politics – became Britain’s first female MP. She took her seat as the MP for Plymouth, Devon on 28 November 1919. Today, there are 264 female MPs in the House of Commons. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Home Secretary, and the leader of the Opposition are all female.
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