The reality remains  that there are still too few women in corporations’ top management despite clear evidence that companies that do have women in their executive committees have better financial performance.   Perhaps the state of our economy would recover more quickly if we had more women in top positions.\n\nUnfortunately, women continue to face many barriers on their way to the top.  One is the age old “double burden” syndrome – the combination of work and domestic responsibilities. This is exasperated by another barrier “anytime, anywhere” performance model which requires total availability and geographical mobility. A third significant barrier; the reticence of many women to advocate for themselves.\n\nThe good news is that many organizations are undertaking measures to increase gender-diversity in leadership. CEO commitment and women’s development remain at the core of gender-diversity.\n\nWhat can your organization do?\n

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  • Options for flexible working conditions (e.g. part-time programs) and or locations (e.g. telecommuting)

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  • Visible monitoring by the CEO and the executive team of the progress in gender-diversity programs

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  • Programs to encourage female networking and role models

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  • Support programs and facilities to help reconcile work and family life e.g. childcare, spousal relocation)

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  • Encouragement or mandates for senior executives to mentor junior women

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  • Inclusion of gender-diversity indicators in executives’ performance reviews

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  • Skill-building programs aimed specifically at women

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  • Performance evaluation systems that neutralize the impact of parental leaves and or flexible work arrangements

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  • Indicators of the company’s performance in hiring, retaining, promoting and developing women

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  • Gender-specific hiring goals and programs

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  • Programs to smooth transitions before, during and after parental leaves

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  • Systematic requirement that at least one female candidate be in each promotion pool

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\nMcKinsey & Company, Women Matter research 2010\n\nAs a community and a country we owe it to these girls to build a workplace where each woman can develop and grow into the leader she is capable of being.\n

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