assignment 2 research report
TRANSCRIPT
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Table of Contents
Executive summary 4
List of Figures: Women on the board in selected EU member states 4
1.0 Introduction 5
1.1 Research Aim and Rationale 6
1.2 Research Questions 7
1.3 Research Objectives 8
1.4 Theoretical Underpinnings 9
1.5 Significance of the Research 10
1.5.1 Purpose 11
1.6 Scope and limitations of the Research 12
2.0 Literature Review 12
2.1 Introduction of Literature Review 13
2.2 The stumbling blocks for female CEOs in UK large Organisations 18
2.3 Conclusion of Literature Review 19
3.0 Methodology 20
3.1 Research Process 20
3.2 Research Philosophy and Approach 21
3.3 Research Design 22
3.3.3 (a) Sources of Data 23
3.4 Sampling 24
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3.5 Validity and Reliability 25
Chapter 4: Findings (data analysis and presentation) 26
Chapter 5: Discussion (data interpretation) 27
Chapter 6: Conclusion, recommendations 28
6.1 Conclusion 29
6.2 Recommendations 30
References 31
Bibliography 32
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Executive summary
Our society has shifted from the cultural view of the man as the breadwinners and the woman
bringing up the children at home. However, women's position has not really improved
significantly compared to 40 years ago. Women should fight to get to the top as a man would
but they should not have additional barriers just because they are women. Although they are
modeled to give birth, their biology does not need to be changed in order to make the
workplace fair, where it would be easier to the workplace to change in order to reflect the fact
that half the people working are women. Even though companies are addressing the issues,
they are acting fast enough in the UK.
In this modern Britain, it has become ever more important to maintain and expand the values
of equal opportunities and to put measures in place to protect them. Equal opportunities in
this study are in reference to equality of opportunities at the workplace. Safeguarding these
values is important because the concept of equality encompasses the need to put legal
measures in place to safeguard the rights of the minority and those who may be subject to
discrimination. However, a balance must be struck between equality of opportunities and
business judgement. Policy makers and equality movements must respect the fact that
businesses make economic choices that may sometimes mean gender or age discrimination
could be justifiable.
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1.0 Introduction
This study looks at the barriers to women’s advancement into executive roles in companies.
A plethora of academic and government commissioned research points to a large gap
between women on executive boards as compared to men in UK companies. This has become
a very topical issue with laws such as the Equality Act 2010 being driven forward by the need
to create greater equality in the workplace by removing barriers to opportunities and
protecting employees from discrimination. However, the issue of equality of opportunities
goes beyond legal frameworks and business decisions, it is also influenced by culture.
Women’s role in society as breadwinners has only been realised in the past 50 years, thus
women undertaking top positions in companies are a relatively new phenomenon. The impact
of culture on women’s progression in the workplace was summed up by the distinguished
Lord Denning MR in the case of Langston v AUEW [1974] ICR 180 “A parallel can be
drawn in regard to women's work. Many a married woman seeks work. She does so when
the children grow up and leave the home. She does it, not solely to earn money, helpful as it
is: but to fill her time with useful occupation, rather than sit idly at home waiting for her
husband to return. The devil tempts those who have nothing to do.” Thus, the issue of
women’s position in the workplace and that of career development and opportunities has
been subject to increasing debate in the past 50 years.
The study contributes to research literature by investigating the barriers to women’s
progression into executive positions in companies. Thus the issue of culture, business
judgement and the legal framework will be examined at length and supported by statistical
research.
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1.1.Research Aim and Rationale
This study aims to explore the position of women on boards of companies in the UK. In order
to carry out this research, a range of sources will be used, this includes journals, databases,
that would provide information on the current state of female executive managers in the UK.
Thus, the aims of this study are three forward: First and foremost, it will explore the legal
status of equality of opportunities in employment in order to explain the current status of
women in the workplace and the challenges they face. Secondly, it will review research
literature along with primary research in order to obtain information on the status of the
challenges faced by female Chief Executive Officers (CEO) in elevating to those positions.
This will consist of interviews with two CEOs of UK companies which was published by the
British Broadcasting Corporation in 2009. Thirdly, after conducting both primary and
secondary research, the recommendations to prospective female executives would be
provided.
The rationale behind this thesis is to explore the reasons behind the low number of women in
executive positions within the UK companies. This has been highly topical in recent years
and as evident by the number of documentaries and academic research aimed at explaining
the challenges faced by women in top positions within large companies. This study will
provide insights on the barriers to women’s advancement into executive position in
companies and suggest potential solutions to the problems they encounter. Aforementioned,
women no longer stay at home, they have graced to positions in the workplace and continue
to challenge men in also aspects of social life such as education. However, despite this
change, women’s leadership is often undermined and they find it more difficult than men to
break through the glass ceiling and attain top positions in companies. Thus, the findings of
this study would help to shed light on these challenges in order to inform a vibrant body of
academic researchers, business professionals and female managers on the barriers to career
advancement into top executive positions in companies. Providing information on the legal
framework and the various protections women enjoy would serve some of the goals of this
thesis. Thus some of the recommendations that would be made in this study would include
legal reform as well as strategic business recommendations in order to improve the changes
of women in accessing top positions. The findings of the study would provide government
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and organisations some directions whether to promote and invest in training and development
of women to pursue to executive positions in companies. It will also help female managers
gain insights in ways of overcoming the barriers in order to access the top executive positions
in the workplace.
Furthermore, as an HND female student, I intend to pursue further education and eventually
end as an executive in the future. Thus, this research will inform me of the challenges faced
by women in the workplace and how in the future I could overcome them in order to attain a
top executive position in the company.
1.2 Research Questions
This research is designed to find answers to some specific questions relating to barriers to
female managers becoming executives.
The main focus of the study will be to find out,
• What is the current stage of the legal framework on equality of opportunity in
employment?
• What is the perspective of female CEOs on the challenges faced by women
from becoming CEOs?(Culture, status, family planning, etc)
• How can the problem of low female executives in UK companies be overcome
After answering these questions, recommendations would be made.
1.3 Research Objectives
This research will investigate empirical evidence linking the low number of female CEOs in
UK companies to short folds in equality law and also the perception of women. So this
explains why culture and the legal status can add two factors that are behind the low number
of females CEOs in UK companies. In law and management literature, the challenge is not to
test the theories already tested, rather “the challenge seems to be one of constructing,
adapting, extending and refining theories, tasks for which the case study is particularly well-
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suited.” (Dubois and Araujo, 2007: 177)1 The research fits this construct by aiming to shed
light on the barriers to becoming a female executive, either by challenging existing theory or
adding a layer of knowledge on the topic.
1.4 Theoretical Underpinnings
This research will be underpinned by contemporary academic theories and knowledge.
Research into women’s advancement into executive positions in companies impinges on a
number of fields of study such as sociology, law, management and psychology. This is
because it involves an understanding of cultural, social and economic variables which may
influence the decision to promote female managers into executive positions. Thus, this
research will be underpinned by three significant areas of academic study. Firstly, it will be
relevant to business management, because it will explain some of the challenges faced by
women in reaching top positions in UK companies. Secondly, it will be influential in the of
employee relations and employment law, because it will give an indication of the limitations
of the equality Act 2010, which among this many aims was to give equal equality to men and
women at work. Thirdly, it will be influential in sociology, because it will explain some of
the cultural and perceptions towards women which may impact on their ability to be
promoted and access higher positions in companies. Research in all three fields of study
would be used to test the conclusions reached in this study and to expand knowledge on the
topic. It will inform a vibrant body of legal scholars, human resource managers and business
executives on the barriers to women’s progression.
Apart from research literature from a range of subject areas, this study would be underpinned
by appropriate research design and methods. This study would use empirical data as well as
rely on documentaries of female executives who have expressed concern over the low
number of female executives in UK companies and their recommendations on increasing the
number. Thus the design is both conceptual and empirical, which would give a good balance
of information in order to tackle a topical and highly controversial topic of female executives
in UK companies.
1 Dubois, A. and L. Araujo (2007. "Case research in purchasing and supply management: Opportunities and challenges." Journal of Purchasing & Supply Management 13(3): 177
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1.5 Significance of the Research
The majority of CEOs in UK companies are men. This study aims to explain why there is a
shortage in female CEOs. This is an implication for prospective female CEOs because it
provides an account from successful CEOs of how to overcome the barriers and the various
strategies they must employ in order to successfully become CEOs. It has implication for
research literature in the field because it will add to the available body of new research
information relating to the challenges faced by women and recommendations based on
empirical research on how to overcome the barriers to become CEOs for prospective female
CEOs.
1.5.1 Purpose
This research will examine the challenges to women’s advancement into executive positions
in companies. It will rely on the data from government reports, academic research and
documentaries from senior female executives in UK companies on the barriers to women’s
advancement. It will explore the legal framework in place to ensure that there is gender
equality in the workplace as well as the challenges faced by women in realising equality such
as cultural and business judgement matters such as maternity leave.
As a result, recommendations on improving the low number of senior female executives in
UK companies will be made as well as provide insights to prospective female executives on
the challenges ahead and how to overcome them. The overall aim of this research is to find
ways of improving equality of opportunities in executive positions which are dominated by
men.
1.6 Scope and limitations of the Research
This is a small study conducted in a period of two months. Thus, a lack of time has meant
that interviews with female CEOs of large companies like Morrisons PLC and Royal Bank of
Scotland was very difficult since it takes on average three months to arrange a booking to see
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them. Furthermore, given that this is an HND research project, the degree of research and
analysis needed was not to a standard necessary to go far and beyond as it would be in a
Masters of PhD thesis. Secondly, obtaining research literature is a difficult procedure since
very little research has been conducted in this area and few researchers have dedicated
considerable attention to researching the positions of women in large organisations. Despite
that, the results of this study can be replicated and applied generally in other countries such as
America and Australia where women experience similar challenges as in the UK. It was
difficult to study women’s progression into executive boards in other countries such as
America or carry out a comparative study due to a lack of time and access to relevant
databases. However, a study of UK companies and the female executives will be of influence
in these countries.
2.0 Literature Review
2.1 Introduction of Literature Review
Record numbers of women are working mothers, more than 65% of moms work nowadays
compared to less than 1/4 40 years ago but women have not swept into senior roles at the
same rate as men (Martison, 2001). In addition, women outshine men in education and
outnumber young men at University level, therefore what happens to promising graduates
once they are out in the workplace? The men hold 70% of middle management jobs in the
UK’s top companies, whereas women hold only 30%, even at this level women are failing to
be promoted into this role at the same rate as men (Crownresume.com, 2010). There are a
number of reasons contributing to women leaving when they get into middle management
positions. For example, women still do the great majority of child care in the country, as well
as also often looking after older relatives, in addition to the UK long working hours culture,
and even though there has been a significant shift of women into the workforce, it has not
really changed to reflect that fact.
However, the proportion of women decreases even further at senior management, executive
and board level, which in roles that wheels real power 83% of jobs are filled by men
(Feminist.org, 1993). There are particular issues at this level where there is a very small pool
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of mostly men, whom then appoint who they know which is other men and the old boys
network overshadows a fair career opportunity in business.
The inefficiency of a system, which largely promotes from within ½ of its intake, in other
words businesses are losing a shocking amount of sheer talent from the business sector,
which is bad for the women, the economy and business. Subsequently, with the UK spending
£21 billion a year on recruitment, it is also a serious drain on resources, as the cost of
recruitment and training is phenomenal to any organisation, so the more employers retain
women skill set the more business can retain its talent the more businesses will prosper and
flourish (Ivr.org.uk, 2008).
2.2. Stumbling blocks for women CEOs
In the past, arguments in favour of improving women’s working lives were based on equal
opportunities. Campaigners in the 1970’s fought for equal pay and against sex discrimination
in recruitment and promotions, but now the case for women is supported by evidence which
shows that companies with a mixed gender in leadership positions make better decisions and
are better run. According to Mr Claude Mukenge (President of Western Union Camden),
companies with the most women on their boards to those with the fewest indicates that more
mixed leadership tends to deliver higher sales and higher returns on equity and invested
capital (Mukenge, 2013). Therefore businesses need more women at the top.
For example, Western Union the world’s biggest money transfer business, which have
transformed the prospects of their employees, they decided to be very proactive in a way of
retaining their female talent and helping them up the corporate ladder. Twelve years ago none
of the companies’ most senior managers or directors were female and company bosses
realised they had to take action and today the company has an even mix of men and women
replicated at every level (Mukenge, 2013).
According to the Vice President, Western Union in Camden, HR department contacted
women who had left to find out why they had gone and it turned out they were not at home
with children (Mukenge, 2013). They had physically gone and sough for another job. In
addition, the problem looked even more serious when they analysed the business results of
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their teams. Teams that were all male and teams that were all female did not perform as well
as teams with a gender balance which performed 5% better (Mukenge, 2013) an advantage
worth millions of pounds in profit. Hence Western Union made some fundamental changes in
a bid to hold the exodus of its women. All staff were trained in how to appreciate the
difference between masculine and feminine styles of behaviour and it was communicated that
staff could opt to work flexibly and still climb the corporate ladder, which the company
benefited by retaining its women saving on recruitment costs and making greater profit.
However, questions were raised if the advantages of mixed teams could be replicated in other
businesses and to support it, an experiment was conducted to investigate why mixed teams
perform better and hoping to show why many women find it difficult to succeed in a male
dominated environment (MIT Sloan Management Review, 2012).
The aim of the experiment was to look at the language the way people speak and interact and
to ask whether there is one very important reason why women are still failing to make it to
the top. The experiment consisted of three teams of six members, all men, all women and a
gender even mix, they were told they were taking part on a competitive task to build a paper
tower which would be judged on height and appearance (Mukenge, 2013).
In the Mens team there was a clear leader who took the initiative from the start and came up
with the right design, there was a quite hierarchical organisation, typical of male teams. Four
members looked at the leader for his approval. However, there was an element of
competitiveness between the leader and a second team member, the typical male interaction
was the fact that they were competing over who had the best design, rather than debating for
alternative ideas. The men fell in behind the second leader as their new leader and adopted
his unstable design and whilst building the tower, the men kept issuing instructions which
the outcome was a tall but unstable tower.
In the women's team, a leader emerged straight away who asked if everyone was happy to go
along with her idea, which it suggested that she was trying to invite other members of the
team to share her idea. Very often women use a rather more cautious type of language
defined as “double voiced discords” and it conveys to the colleagues that they are less
confident about their viewpoints and possibly less decisive (Mukenge, 2013). However, then
another member chipped in and had to cut across what the leader was saying, which was the
only way she could get her voice heard and put forward the best solution but her teammates
carried on brainstorming and talking over her, and in order to make herself heard she had to
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continue talking and make a judgment call, whether it was more important to get the right
idea across or to feel involved as one of the team. Women tend to be much more egalitarian
in the way they communicate, all want an equal say and all want to be included. Whilst
building the tower all women continued pitching in with ideas and the outcome was a stable
but short tower.
In the mixed team there was a different atmosphere, there was a lot of laughter, joke and
almost flirtatious. It could sensed that the opposite gender dynamics kicked in, which there
was a lack of competition and it seemed as if the best was being brought out from both men
and women. While building the tower they kept smiling and the team were clear winners.
(Mukenge, 2013).
As well as showing the advantages of the gender balanced team, the experiment revealed why
women might struggle to make a mark in a male dominated workplace and by learning how
men operate in a male team and women operate in a female team. It was demonstrated about
what the norms of interaction are and that might help me to explain why women find it
difficult to go into a men’s team when the way that people engage with each other is
different.
Based on the experiment, It was can concluded that the business benefits of increasing
diversity and Western Union was right to transform its male dominated corporate culture, by
recognising the problem, finding the solution and making the solution stick, which will go
from strength to strength because it is now engendered with the company ethos and culture
which they have the workforce and capital to keep implementing the strategy.
On the other hand, questions were raised whether or not the same type of solution could be
made to work in small to medium enterprises in the UK, which cost and human resource
matters because they have to sweat their assets, which are not just operating equipment, is
their human resource. For many small to medium enterprises, the cost of boosting the
number of female employees in key roles might outweigh the benefits, this could be
damaging Womens’ career prospects.
For example, in Excolsior Coaches most coach drivers are men but in the office 30% of
employees are women. Although the director is a woman who would like to employ more
women, unfortunately multiple maternity leave would have a great financial and work
dynamics impact in the company. Even though the company is able to claim 92% of their
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employee's maternity leave, there are recruiting, training and other additional costs attached
to it, which would be detrimental for the business as the costs would outweigh their profits.
However, their policy requires to employ the right person for the right job and complying
with the law against sex discrimination, therefore they do not have the choice but to ensure
their process is fair by interviewing a pregnant woman or a woman of childbearing age
despite the undeniable costs if they were to employ them.
Excolsior Coaches is not the only employer who is frank about the impact of maternity rights,
in big organisations where more than half are women, it also has an impact although
significantly less than in small business. The issue of maternity leave is impacting greatly on
female talent but is also impacting greatly on the commercial world, which it is undeniable
that a couple pregnancies in a small business could bring about its demise.
However, illegal discrimination is an issue but another important factor contributing to the
lack of women in jobs at top level, is the fact that not enough women are coming forward to
apply for those roles in the first place, preventing them from getting into key roles.
Consequently, the wording in job ads may be putting women off before they even got their
foot in the door, male words, not only communicate to the candidate but also communicate to
the people involved in the selection process who will be biased towards a male candidate.
(Mukenge, 2013). Unconscious biased choice of words limits the pool of candidates, but it
could affect recruiters too as the language starts to orient recruiters to what they are looking
for, where the type of language in masculine sounding jobs is stereo typically more
associated with a man and softer language with a woman, hence recruiters will be therefore,
more inclined to select a man and they will less likely to see those qualities in female
candidates. Furthermore, confidence issues is another limiting the amount of women up the
corporate latter. Kate Blossom is a professional head hunter who specialises in identifying
female candidates for senior jobs and frequently sees women eliminating themselves from the
recruitment process ( Blosson, 2013).
Undoubtedly, the biggest challenge of all that stops women from staying at their jobs and
rising through the ranks is motherhood. In the UK today at least 2/3 of mothers work at least
part-time, but many find the challenge of juggling work and family commitments affects their
confidence and career progression (Mrs Mukenge, 2013). The several hours spent planning
and organising each morning before leaving the household, which it makes it even more
difficult when both parents work at a professional level, where time management is
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concerned. Furthermore, the practicality of household chores, the oganising of the children's
lives and the ability to arrive at work on time is a challenge (Mrs Mukenge, 2013).
Moreover, as the family keeps growing, in most cases, the rapid progression up the career
ladder before having children usually slows down, hence for many achieving a satisfying
work life balance means they compromise on seniority and pay.
Subsequently, more than 4 in 10 mothers with degrees said they have taken a job for which
they are overqualified in order to secure a part-time working arrangement (Nasirpipour,
2013). On the other hand, 2.2 million women have made the choice of staying at home and
looking after the children instead of returning to work.
The work life, family balance and emotional attachment are the few of the factors the 2.2
million women decide to step away from their flourishing careers (Whataboutmenews.info
n.d). Essentially, the most important factor affecting women returning to work is the cost of
childcare. The UK childcare costs are among the highest in the world, with fees for a 2 year
old in daycare costing 1/3 of the average net income of two working parents (BBC News,
2013).
2.3 Conclusion of Literature Review
Overall, motherhood is the biggest challenge preventing many women from progressing in
the business sector, the dilemmas posed by maternity leave, childcare and part-time work
creates a clash of financial, emotional and practical factors for women and businesses, which
is a big contributor to women leaving the workplace and disappearing from the corporate
ladder. Females go into the commercial world and it takes them several years to be
recognised as board material, however, then the biological clock starts to tick, they then leave
to have children and all too often that female skill set is written off preventing them to
continually grow professionally. Although a shared care would assist them, men still have
90% of what they need at home to allow them to do their job whereas women do not when
doing the majority of the care.
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3.0 Methodology
3.1 Research Process
To achieve the aims of this research, a method that can capture dynamic processes and allow
different levels of analysis was necessary. This is because the study involves interviews in
which CEOs talk about the barriers they faced and those facing prospective female CEOS.
3.2 Research Approach
Thus an exploratory approach was deemed appropriate. The exploratory designed is aimed at
discovering possible relations and testing them. By relations I mean the barriers to becoming
a CEO and their effect on female managers. Qualitative methods are well suited to study
dynamic processes such as career advancement.2 Qualitative process studies are a way of
finding out how something happens, and the emphasis is as much on how the participants
perceive and interpret what is happening, as on the outcomes of the process.3
The study focuses on explaining how the barriers affect the changes of female CEOs through
a case study methodology. Interviews are an appropriate research approach when the question
under scrutiny is a “how” and “why”. Thus the interviews are the most appropriate tool for
appreciating the complexities of an organisational phenomenon such as a career advancement
which balances the interests of managers. 4 Yin defines a case study as “An empirical inquiry
that: Investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context, especially when
the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident.”5 Yin distinguishes
between exploratory, descriptive and explanatory case studies. Exploratory case studies are
aimed at exploring the existence of a phenomenon, descriptive case studies are aimed at 2 Maitlis, S. (2005). "The social processes of organizational sensemaking." Academy of Management Journal 48(1): 21.
3 Patton, M. Q. (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods. Newbury Park, Sage.
4 Eisenhardt, K. M. (1989). "Building Theories from Case Study Research." Academy of Management Review 14(4): 532.
5 Yin, R. K. (1984). Case Study Research. Design and methods, Sage Publications. P.3
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providing a clear description of a phenomenon, and explanatory case studies are aimed at
explaining the existence of a phenomenon. Explanatory and descriptive case studies are not
ideal for discovery or unearthing new theory but confirming or reiterating an already
established phenomenon.
In law and management literature, the challenge is not to test the theories already tested,
rather “the challenge seems to be one of constructing, adapting, extending and refining
theories, tasks for which the case study is particularly well-suited.”6 The research fits this
construct by aiming to shed light on the barriers to becoming a CEO, either by challenging
existing theory or adding a layer of knowledge on the barriers to becoming a CEO. Thus this
research employs an exploratory case study approach.
This study involves multiple interviews. The study follows a replication logic which allows
me to compare and contrast across answers. This makes it a powerful tool for developing
theory because it provides varied data as compared to a single case.7. By using multiple
CEOS, I am able to create theoretical constructs and propositions from case- based empirical
evidence. All the information collected in the documentaries will be used to capture what
correct CEOs consider to be the stumbling blocks to becoming a female CEO.
There are limitations on conducting research under a qualitative case study: “The case
research logic relies on finding causal relationships within each case rather than by
selecting, measuring and comparing a number of attributes on each case.”8 However, the
relationships are not confined to one case but will be compared cross cases to test their
validity. Thus I will be able to compare and contrast emergent findings to see whether they
are replicated in other cases or simply a one-off phenomenon. Furthermore, as I am
examining interviews of CEOs from in different organisations and in different sectors, the
findings will not be idiosyncratic to a particular organisation or sector, which will also
support theory creation. 9
6 Dubois, A. and L. Araujo (2007. "Case research in purchasing and supply management: Opportunities and challenges." Journal of Purchasing & Supply Management 13(3): 177
7 Eisenhardt, K. M. and M. E. Graebner (2007). "Theory building from cases: opportunities and challenges." Academy of Management Journal 50(1): 25-‐32.
8 Supra 37 p.175
9 Stake, R. E. (2006). Multiple Case Study Analysis. New York, The Guilford Press
xiii
3.3 Research Design
The explorative design of this study allows flexibility to inquire deeper into outcomes that
appear to be more contentious or likely to yield greater understanding of the barriers to career
advancement.
To answer the research question, I need fine-grained and rich data that will give me an insight
into the treatment of top female managers in the UK. Gaining sense of the organisational
processes and how they affect career advancement beyond analysing data. It requires an
understanding of the organisation from the perspective of the people within it. To achieve this
purpose, data needs to be contextual and specific. To understand a process that involves the
whole organisation, I need the perspectives from CEOs. For this, longitudinal data gathering
is suitable because it reveals patterned activities and interpretations.10
The feelings of some CEOS are not easily obtainable because it is difficult to get hold of
them. To obtain this information, I relied on documentaries in which in-depth interviews
were carried out on the topic. As a qualitative research design is used, this allows needed
flexibility and agility.11
3.3.3 (a) Sources of Data
This study includes several sources of data. The most important sources of data are archival
data. This includes published and unpublished material and documents of various kinds
(annual reports, newspaper articles, intranet articles, internal documents and memos made
available to the researcher).
I employed triangulation of data sources by including interviews and analysis of secondary
sources in my research. This method allows the comparison what was said about female
CEOs, what was written in documents, and what was eventually done in the company.
10 Barley, S. R. (1990). "Images of imaging: notes on doing longitudinal field work." Organization Science: A Journal of the Institute of Management Sciences 1(3): 220.
11 Maxwell, J. A. (2005). Qualitative research design: an interactive approach. Thousand Oaks, Calif., Sage Publications.
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After conducting the research, the data will be conceptualised to form a theory and then
presented. Each answer to the questions is examined and information is drained from it to
make recommendations.
3.4 Sampling
The sampling follows the criteria for theoretical sampling by Eisenhardt and Graebner..
Eisenhardt and Graebner explain theoretical sampling: “Theoretical sampling simply means
that cases are selected because they are particularly suitable for illuminating and extending
relationships and logic among constructs. (…) cases are sampled for theoretical reasons,
such as revelation of an unusual phenomenon, replication of findings from other cases,
contrary replication, elimination of alternative explanations, and elaboration of the emergent
theory.”12
Ten questions were asked to eleven CEOS of UK companies
Q: Are there enough women with the right skill sets and experience to fulfill these top
roles?
Clare Hill former trainer and assessor of nursery managers
Q: Is it the company to find ways in managing round women career bricks?
Chis Bull – CEO, McBride PLC
Q: Why did you decide to step away from your career and become a full time mother?
Clare Hill former trainer and assessor of nursery managers
Q: How did having children impacted your confidence and career progression?
Paula Leach
Q: How did motherhood impacted on your career?
Lauren Baley
12 Ibid p. 27 (get the websites sorted)
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Q: What is the difference between men and women on self promoting themselves for a
job? Managing Director, Saphire Partners
Q: From a commercial perspective how does the company cover reduce work schedules?
Geraldine Gilron – Vice President, West Driving
Q: To small to medium enterprises is it detrimental to employ females of childbearing
age?
Kathy Tilbury – Managing Director – Excolsior Coaches
Claude Mukenge – Western Union Camden Chairman & CEO
Q: Why were female with highly skill talent leaving the business?
Geraldine Gilron – Vice President, West Driving
Q: How would business benefit if the female brain drain could be stopped?
Mr Mukenge – Western Union Camden Chairman & CEO
Time and resource constraints affected the inclusion of other CEOS. However, I believe this
will not affect the results, and the information rich answers will serve the replication logic
and yield the information required to gain a greater understanding of the barriers to becoming
a female CEO.
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3.6 Validity and Reliability
A fundamental question to answer in conducting any kind of research is ‘how may I be
wrong?’ This refers to the “correctness or credibility of a description, conclusion,
explanation, interpretation, or other sort of account.”13
In quantitative research, validity refers to the degree to which the researcher has constructed
instruments that measure what they are supposed to measure. However, in qualitative
research, the researcher is the instrument, and validity thus refers to the skills, competence
and rigor of the person doing the field work. Thus the two important threats to validity in
qualitative research are researcher bias and reactivity. There has presented a danger of
research bias which can threaten the validity of the findings where the researcher selects the
data that fits with his or her preconceptions. To deal with this, I tried not to impose my
conceptual framework to any of the research aims and questions pursued in the study.
Interviewing different individuals increased the chances of uncovering spurious associations
and provided the opportunity to develop alternative hypotheses.
External validity in case studies refers to whether or not the findings in the study can be
generalised beyond the case. Generalisation allows the testing of established theory and this
is something multiple case studies are well suited to do. Case studies rely on analytical
generalisation which evolves from the development of concepts and theories that can be
extended to other cases. This development contributes to knowledge on the topic. However,
in qualitative studies that involve a single case, generalisation of findings is rarely accepted.
However, in studies that involve many cases, there is no reason to believe the conclusions
could not be applied more generally. Thus in my study, there is no reason to believe that the
findings on female CEOs in UK cannot be applied to other countries.
Reliability is problematic in qualitative studies because of the issue of conceptualising
information in order to reach adequate conclusions. The reliability issues concern whether
“the process of the study is consistent, reasonably stable over time and across researchers
13 Maxwell, J. A. (2005). Qualitative research design : an interactive approach. Thousand Oaks, Calif., Sage Publications. 106
xvii
and methods”.14 It refers to whether a different researcher could have reached the same
conclusion. Asking open ended questions would allow respondents to mention important
factors in regard to a certain outcome rather than my pre-conceived notions of important
issues. I cannot assume that any researcher will reach different conclusions to mine but
differences in factors such as age, experience and background could lead to different
conclusions.
Measurement problems are rarely dealt with in the literature on qualitative research. In
qualitative research “the mapping, inferences, and validity claims have much in common with
the measurement.”15 Measurement in qualitative research refers to the sense-making and
tracking back and forth between the conceptual and the empirical levels. This takes the form
of mapping the data to the existing knowledge base.
14 Miles, M. B. and M. A. Huberman (1994). Qualitative Data Analysis. An Expanded Sourcebook. Thousand Oaks, SAGE Publications. p. 278
15 Ghauri, P. and K. Grønhaug (2005). Reserach Methods in Business Studies. A Practical Guide . Harlow, England, Prentice Hall P. 89
18
4.0 Findings and discussion
The legal evidence clearly shows that laws are in place to protect women such as maternity
and parental leave. These laws have been recently strengthened by the Equality Act 2010.
The aim of these laws is to overcome one of the main barriers to accessing equal
opportunities at work, which is mainly maternity leave. Employers tend to be reluctant to
provide women the option to become CEOs because when they have children they may not
be able to maintain the standards necessary at work. Thus, the law is in place to remedy this
problem by protecting women’s right to maternity leave as well as parental leave. However,
despite the protection, little has been done to enforce law.
The interview questions yielded a lot of information on the barriers to become a CEO for
women. The answer given by Clare Hill former trainer and assessor of nursery managers on
whether there is enough women with the right skills and experience to challenge men for the
top position, was as expected. She recognized that women have the requisite education
standards and the experience, but there remains a shortage of skilled women able to challenge
men for top position. This is largely due to inequality of opportunities in various aspects of
career development. Chris Bull, CEO, McBride PLC was asked whether the company has a
duty to ensure that women manage around career breaks. He pointed to companies offering
women incentives such as childcare costs to enable top female managers to avoid taking
breaks from work. However, they recognized that the state also has a role to play in
developing policies geared towards helping women manage career breaks without distracting
their career advancement opportunities. The question of stepping away from work and
becoming a full time mother was asked to Clare Hill former, trainer and assessor of nursery
managers. She said it was an emotional step which was also necessary because a mother has a
greater inclination to be around their child than a father. Another CEO, Paula Leach was
asked how having children affected her career advancement. She emphatically responded that
it greatly affected it as she lost out on many development opportunities that would have
enabled her to rise up the career ladder faster. Hilary Baley summed up this great sacrifice by
stating that she went back to work a few weeks after giving birth and she was not the same at
work as she felt the need to be around her child. Apart from career opportunities, Kate
19
Grussing – Managing Director, Saphire Partners pointed out that men tend to appear more
confident when talking about career progression in interviews and women tend to me more
reserved on the matter. This can partly be seen as a fear of undertaking too many
responsibilities whereas men welcome it as they see nothing much in the future that may
interfere with their work patterns. Kathy Tilbury, Managing Director – Excolsior Coaches
and Claude Mukenge – Western Union Chairman & CEO Camden were asked whether it is
risky to hire female employees of childbearing age. They agreed that it can influence their
decision but at the end of the day a candidate is often chosen on merit. However, they both
agreed that small business would be less willing to hire them given the costs they would
endure in finding a replacement within a short period of time to cover for maternity and
parental leave. Geraldine Gilron – Vice President, Western Union Camden summed up that
the majority of females is leaving the business due to family commitments. Thus the biggest
hurdle facing prospective female CEOs is family commitments after giving birth which
employers are reluctant to accommodate despite the availability of a legal framework to
protect women. However, Sir Roger Carr – President CBI believes that infusing more women
in the workplace and promoting them in top position would benefit businesses in UK. The
mere fact women perform better than men in education can be replicated in the commercial
environment which would result in economic growth.
5 Discussion (data interpretation)
The legal framework and inequality in the workplace
Equality is a concept that can receive different interpretations. There is a tension at the root of
anti-discrimination law, arising from competing views as to the nature of equality which law
can or should achieve. There are at least three models of equality which inform legal
provisions. First, there is the formal equality model, based on the starting point of the abstract
equality of individuals. If all human beings are equal or similar, then they should be treated
similarly. Another way of describing this conception is to think of equality as meaning
consistency, flowing from the Aristotelian idea that likes should be treated alike. The second
and third models both aim to achieve a type of substantive equality. A second model is that of
20
equality of outcome or of the results, which goes further than the principle of equality of
treatment, permitting inconsistent treatment in order to achieve equality of outcome. E.g. by
the imposition for instance of quotas to ensure an equal result. It is linked to indirect
discrimination prohibition (the aim is to ensure that in fact, a traditionally discriminated
group will receive an equal treatment). A third way of interpreting the equality principle is
the equality of opportunity, which is concerned with equalizing starting point, and is midway
between the above two models. The idea beside this approach is that we do not have the same
starting point and that equality laws must ensure that we can still compete equally. It does not
go as far as to aim for equality of results, but it proposes to solve the problem of institutional
discrimination. Notice that not all models are however compatible with each other.
More recently, the Court has pronounced the idea of equality as a fundamental human right.
In the case of Deutsche Telekom AG v Schröder [2000] ECR I-743, the European Court of
Human Rights repeatedly held that the right not to be discriminated against on grounds of sex
is one of the fundamental human rights whose observance the Court has a duty to ensure.
Kilpatrick (, 490) argues that being a member of the European Union, the UK has a greater
responsibility in tackling gender inequality.16
Empirical evidence of discrimination against female employees in UK
Inequality faced by women in the workplace was investigated in a government commission
study into equality in UK. The 2010 report on equality in UK found that Many barriers within
employment are breaking down, with, for example, a growing proportion of managerial and
professional positions taken by women (EHRC, 2010).
16 C Kilpatrick, ‘Emancipation Through Law or the Emasculation of Law? The Nation-State, the EU, and Gender Equality at Work’, at 490.
21
Figure 1: Women on the board in selected EU member states
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18187449
However, the British labour market continues to be characterised by a high level of
occupational segregation. Women make up 83% of people employed in personal services and
over 40% of female jobs compared to 15% of male jobs are in the public sector, making
women particularly vulnerable to public sector cuts. Occupational segregation continues to
feed pay differences, especially in the private and voluntary sectors were at age 40 men are
earning on average 27% more than women (EHRC, 2010: 25).17
Gender pay gap
A report on the changing balances between men and women as full-time academic staff in all
UK institutions found that:
“In 2009-10 the proportions of women in full-time posts had increased to 38% (45,195 out of
117,930). However, it is important to note that women remain in relatively subordinate
positions relative to men, and have not increased their share of senior positions. For
17 EHRC, Fairness and Freedom, The Final Report of the Equalities Review – Executive Summary (2010).
22
example, less than a quarter of women are (full) professors (2905) out of a total of 15,320
and proportionately more are on fixed-term rather than open-ended or permanent contracts.
There remain far more women on part-time contracts than men, almost two-thirds or 34,705
out of 63,665. Thus, over the last 15 years, whilst the proportion of academics in UK
institutions has barely increased, women have increased relative to men, although largely
remaining in subordinate roles.”18
In terms of education, the report found that women now do better than men in every aspect of
educational qualification but the pay gap between men and women remains. After falling
continuously for the past 30 years, progress seems to have halted (EHR, 2010: 27). The report
found that the gender pay gap (as measured by median hourly pay excluding overtime)
narrowed between 2008 and 2009. The gender pay gap for all employees decreased to 22% in
2009 from 22.5% in 2008; the full-time gender pay gap fell from 12.6% in 2008 to 12.2% in
2009. The part-time gender pay gap fell from 39.9% in 2008 to 39.4% in 2009 (EHRC, 411).
Gender segregation
Vertical segregation describes how, within the same occupation, women are concentrated
lower down the salary range; for example the vast majority of those in clerical occupations is
women, yet over 80% of higher paid clerical positions are occupied by men. Women tend to
be paid less than men within occupations, not climbing the career ladder to the same degree
as men. This is known as vertical segregation and the barriers to moving up in a profession
are also referred to as the “glass ceiling” (Women and Work Commission, 2006: 11)
Occupational segregation is the term used to describe the fact that women and men tend to do
different jobs. Horizontal segregation refers to the concentration of women and men into
different types of occupations; for example men in agriculture, engineering, construction; and
women in health care, cleaning, catering and other service sector related jobs, which are
usually found at lower levels of industry and attract lower rates of pay.
18 UK Higher Education Statistical Authority (HESA) and other Government sources. http://www.genderandeducation.com/issues/factsfiguresfutures/
23
The Women and Work Commission report entitled “shaping a fairer future” of 2006 found
that women are more concentrated in lower-paying occupations than men (Women and Work
Commission, 2006:10-11).19 Nearly two-thirds of women were employed in 12 occupation
groups: the five ‘c’s – caring, cashiering, catering, cleaning and clerical occupations – plus
teaching, health associate professionals (including nurses), and “functional” managers, such
as financial managers, marketing and sales managers and personnel managers. They found
that only a third of managerial jobs were taken by women. By contrast, men were employed
in a wider range of jobs. Two-thirds of men were employed in 26 occupation groups
including more professional, managerial and technical roles than women, for example,
functional and production managers, transport drivers, engineers and information and
communication technology professionals.
There have been numerous reports commissioned by the UK government, and at EU level on
women and work and on unequal pay in particular. In 2001, the Equal Opportunities
Commission in the UK published a report of the Equal Pay Task Force, which had
investigated the causes of unequal pay.20 It used to be possible for employers simply to pay
female workers less for doing the same work as men: many workplaces had separate pay
scales for men and women. The Equal Pay Taskforce concluded that there were three main
factors which contributed to the gender pay gap: occupational segregation, the unequal
impact of women’s family responsibilities and pay discrimination but the focus of concern
was discrimination; the Taskforce believed that this accounted for between 25% and 50% of
the pay gap. Pay discrimination is only one of the factors contributing to the gap, but the
evidence suggests that when other factors are discounted, between 25% and 50% of the
gender pay gap is due to discrimination (Equality Opportunities Commission, 2001:2).
This view is applicable across the EU and is supported by most academic studies (Soumeli
and Nergaard, 2002). As can be seen from the report on Gender Equity in Europe, it seems
that most academic studies conclude that, there is an unexplained difference in wages, which
is presumed to be due to discrimination. Studies show that a wide - though narrowing - pay
gap persists between women and men in all European Union Member States and in Norway,
19 Women and Work Commission, Shaping a Fairer Future, February 2006
Department of Trade and Industry, www.dti.gov.uk (UK) at pp 10-‐11 20 Equal Pay Taskforce, Just Pay: Report of the Equal Pay Task Force, Equal Opportunities Commission, 2001: 2
24
to the detriment of women. Although a variety of factors are cited to explain the existing
wage differentials between women and men, most studies conclude that, in addition to the
gap arising from these factors, there is an unexplained difference in wages, which is
presumed to be due to discrimination.21
Parental rights that protect women from discrimination
• Equality Act 2010 s.11
• Marriage, pregnancy/maternity and gender reassignment as sex discrimination
• Equality Act 2010 ss.4, 18
• Dekker v VJV Centrum – discrimination against a pregnant woman is sex
discrimination – ECJ
•
• Maternity leave: Maternity and Parental Leave Regulations 1999; as amended by ss 17
and 18 Employment Act 2002 and Work and Families Act 2006
– 26 weeks of Ordinary Maternity Leave and 26 weeks of Additional Maternity
Leave making one year in total. The combined 52 weeks is known as Statutory
Maternity Leave
– Notice to employer 15 w before ‘expected week of childbirth’ (EWC)
– SML can start any week from 11 weeks before ‘EWC’
– 2 weeks of ‘compulsory’ SML
• Maternity pay: Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1993 and related
regulations
– The qualifying period of 26 weeks (+1 day) of work before a week -15d from
‘EWC’
21 E Soumeli and K Nergaard, ‘Gender pay equity in Europe’ Report for European Industrial Relations Observatory On-‐Line, 2002
25
– Earning at least £102/week
– 6 weeks at 90% of full w pay
– + up to 33 weeks at £135.45 or 90% of full w pay (whichever the lowest)
– More if included in the contract/collective agreement
• Parental leave: Maternity and Parental Leave etc Regulations 1999, as amended
– Parents of child up to 5y (18 if disabled)
– Up to 13 weeks of unpaid leave (unless the contract of collective agreement
offers pay)
• Time off to care for dependants: s 57A and 57B Employment Rights Act 1996
• Right to request flexible working arrangement: s80F Employment Rights Act 1996
6.1 Conclusion
Competitiveness depends on the UK making the best use of the talents of as many people as
possible. Policy makers need to ensure that as many people as possible who want to work
should have the chance to do so and women are given the opportunities to reach the higher
echelons on business management. But work and parenthood can create conflicting pressures.
Parents, both men and women, need time with their children and time to create a supportive
home in which their children can thrive. When they are at work they need confidence that
their children are being well cared for so that they can concentrate on the job in hand.
Helping female employees to combine work and family life satisfactorily is good not only for
parents and children but also for businesses. To ensure that all parents are better able to
balance work and family life, voluntary measures need to be underpinned by a statutory
framework. The Equality Act 2010 has enhanced the protection afforded to female employees
but still inequality of opportunities continues. While parenthood is largely to blame for this
outcome, it cannot be eliminated and the business community must embrace it rather than
fight it. This means they must invest more in female employees and improve their changes of
attaining top positions.
26
6.2 Recommendations
The first recommendation is to improve legal enforcement. Employers are able to deny
female staff the opportunity to become CEOs, even when they have merited the promotion,
largely to family commitments. Despite the enactment of the Equality Act, women continue
to be discriminated when it comes to equality of opportunities. Employers are able to justify
it based on business judgement and the court is incapable of interfering with business choices
unless they are in breach of law. On that basis, to improve enforcement of the law protecting
women’s rights in the workplace, a business culture needs to be fostered in which women are
given more chances to become CEOs. Thus the government must develop initiatives to meet
this recommendation.
The second recommendation is derived from the analysis of the interviews. It is clear that the
biggest hurdle facing prospective female CEOs is both an established perception that female
managers would choose family commitments above the business once they have given birth
and the high likability that once given birth, the female employee would take maternity leave
and be more concentrated on looking after the child than serving the business interests. On
that basis, most of the CEOs and executives interviewed agreed that the issue of childbirth is
the reason women are less represented on the company boards in UK. Thus, the second
recommendation is not necessarily to add another layer of laws to protect female employees
since the law has been already strong enough yet the problem persists. It is recommended that
companies are pushed by the government to put in place policies that enable at least one
female employee to sit on the board of the company. This, is a form of positive action in
which underepresented groups are given greater weight when it comes to development
opportunities. However, the proposal for positive action significantly shifts the emphasis of
discrimination law away from the right of the individual to be treated on merit alone, to one
where being a member of a particular group can determine a person’s employment
opportunities. This changes the whole logic and professional approach to recruitment that has
been emphasised since the raft of anti-discrimination legislation was passed in the mid 70’s.
If all individuals are deserving of equal respect and dignity then it is a flawed approach to
single out particular classifications of people and emphasise special measures to promote
their equality. I believe that we should not budge this fundamental principle to retrospectively
27
try to sort out earlier problems with inequality of opportunity. On that basis, positive action
can improve the low female representation in executive positions but conflicts with the idea
that selection should be based on merit.
28
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Prentice Hall Ghauri, P. and K. Grønhaug (2005).
29
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31
Appendix
Interview of CEOs of UK companies
Q: How would business benefit if the female brain drain could be stopped?
A: “The loss of the talent pool is financially damaging for business, it is also damaging to the
health of an organisation, the common sense facts are, that businesses comprises customer
who are male and female, employees who are male and female, and shareholders are male
and female, and therefore to have a company that is run exclusively by one gender or the
other, you simply are not running the business in an appropriate manner. Women bring a
different life experience, and therefore they change the nature of the debate, it becomes more
positive or constructive, and ultimately leads to better decision making, of the UK, better
business with a better competitive edge it is utterly critical to our growth and that is important
to all of us. Businesses at all levels work better with a gender mix and most businesses see
that, they have already understood that it is not something to aspire to it is something they
need to grip very quickly because in today’s world you want all the competitive edge you can
get and women bring that” Sir Roger Carr – President CBI
Q: Why were female with highly skill talent leaving the business?
A: “People in the business tended to think that women were leaving the business for family
reasons, to have a baby or to stay at home with the children, and there was a thought that
maybe it is more suited to a male style because it is a pretty stressful environment. We
contacted those who had left and I was surprised that 95% of them had gone on to do another
job, so they have not left because of family circumstances, they resigned because they felt
that their style and work life balance would not work at P&G. ” Geraldine Huse – Vice
President, P&G
Q: From a commercial perspective how does the company cover reduce work schedules?
A: ”If we have reduced work schedules, for example sometimes we will need 10 team
members instead of 8 if we have a lot of people on reduced work schedules and we do not
believe that is cost overall because the benefit of retaining the top talent that we have. If we
think about the 10 years of training it takes to get someone to senior management level, it will
cost more if we lose the talent than if we retain it.” Geraldine House – Vice President, P&G
32
Q: To small to medium enterprises is it detrimental to employ females of childbearing
age?
A: “Businesses have to think twice about recruiting women of childbearing age, we do not
have a choice because we can find ourselves in the employment tribunal just by refusing an
interview from someone who tells the employer they are pregnant. We have a policy within
our businesses of employing the right person for the right job but you have to think about the
impact of the business not just financially but in the day-to-day operation when you recruit
people. When my right hand sales and marketing manager took maternity leave, we had to
look at recruiting somebody, so there is a cost of about £ 1000 in terms of the recruitment, the
advert, the interview processes. There is then a week induction and training, so that is another
£650, there is obviously additional office equipment we need to provide that is in the region
of another £1000, then when the maternity leave finishes, there is potentially 21 days holiday
to take so that all comes at a cost to the business and although we recover 92% it will still
have a hit 8-10K on our bottom line” Kathy Tilbury – Managing Director – Excolsior
Coaches
“Was just as much as a problem for me when I was running a big business for somebody in a
key role to go off on maternity leave as it is for somebody at a smaller business, although I
accept that it could be quite a mission critical for a small business whereas in a big business is
a nuisance. Therefore, there no doubt that small businesses who therefore in their recruitment
process will shy away from employing someone who might get pregnant” Sir Stuart Rose –
M&S Former Chairman & CEO
Q: What is the difference between men and women on self promoting themselves for a
job?
A: ”When we approach a woman about a job, she will often tell me why she thinks she is not
suitable for the job, whereas men will point out why they are a perfect fit. Women are often
as ambitious but do not wear on their sleeve they way their male peers will.” Kate Grussing
– Managing Director, Saphire Partners
33
Q: How did motherhood impact on your career?
A: “Three weeks after giving birth 20 years ago, I had to return back to work, as it was spelt
out to me if I did not get back into work quickly there would not be a job there for me. The
sacrifice is not hearing your child first word or seeing the first steps because you have to be at
work. “ Hilary Baley
Q: How did having children impact your confidence and career progression?
A: “Before I had children I was never late for anything but sometimes I really feel I am up
against it in terms of trying to fit everything and then make it to a meeting and not let people
down. I remember leaving the office to go and do the pick up from nursery and I would be
the first one to leave the office and as the manager of the department I felt I should be the
first one leaving the office even if I worked 3hrs later on that evening to catch up.
I would never have believed that I would have a dip in confidence, there is a another job that
you are learning to do, being a mum and sometimes I would sit in a meeting thinking if I
should be there. I have a choice of what I do with my life but work is important to me and I
have worked so hard to get to where I am and it would be a shame to get all the experience
behind me and then just step out. You never know what the situation would have been if you
have not had children, having said that I have not progressed through the organisation, I am
mum and I want to be around. ” Paula Leach
Q: Why did you decide to step away from your career and become a full time mother?
A: “Initially it was an emotional decision to stay at home, I just decided it was not a good
time to go back, I wanted to spend more time with my son, and another part of it, was the
financial side just due to the fact I would have to pay £185 a week on childcare fees, which
meant the a big chunk of my wage would go straight out on the childcare fees so I had to
weigh up what I was going to do and the career I would have to go.
I do love my life but I am also missing going to work and having my own income to support
the family, I am looking at possibly set up my own business where I can fit in time around the
children. I am itching to go back onto the corporate ladder but the childcare fees vs wages, it
does not add up.” Clare Hill former trainer and assessor of nursery managers
34
Q: Are there enough women with the right skill sets and experience to fulfill these top
roles?
A: “Not today, that is in relation in terms of availability today but the pipeline is filling up
and is just a matter of time for the situation to get much better but today there is certainly a
scarcity.
Q: Is it the company to find ways in managing round women career breaks?
A: “I think companies certainly need to find a way around managing career breaks but
sharing the caring of children is also an option. Despite being a real challenge is not about
being completely black and white, if you create a more rounded approach that both males and
females have a responsibility for their family. I would plan my board room meeting around
the parents meeting, so I would still go to the parents meeting I would just plan ahead, is not
a crisis every day in business.” Chis Bull – CEO, McBride PLC