I imagine that most people reading this would agree that women are equally capable as men and that two people doing the same job, equally well, should be paid the same and be afforded the same opportunities.
And yet men still far outnumber women in leadership positions and the women who do make it up the corporate ladder are likely to earn less than their male colleagues. In fact, new stats published today by the Chartered Management Institute reveal an average pay gap of £10,060 between men and women at management level in UK businesses. This means that the average female executive will earn £423,390 less over her lifetime than a man with an identical career path.
It's a shocking figure and, if you agree with my initial statements, you'll also agree that it has to change. But how? We've been talking about equality in the workplace for decades and yet whilst most agree in principle, progress has been glacial.
A major part of the problem is that, at the moment, we equate senior management and leadership positions with being available to work anytime, anyplace. Doing a good job isn't enough; promotions and pay rises are often rewarding face time, visibility and working long hours. This is squarely a traditional 'male breadwinner model' and is completely out of touch with the way society has evolved over the past 20 years.
The result is that top female talent being unintentionally, but automatically, filtered off the leadership path. The lack of female role-models in senior positions then feeds a vicious cycle where the summit looks like a risky and alien place for women and the personal cost of success too high. The result: we see many women unsure of where their skills and qualifications could take them, throttling back their own ambitions as result.
At Fairplace, we recently asked 1,000+ British employees about their long-term plans. We found that a worrying 45% of women don't plan ahead in terms of career goals, compared with just 33% of men, and almost a third of women have no long term career plan, compared with a fifth of men. This suggests that, faced with a chronic shortage of female role models, women are developing self-limiting beliefs and taking a passive approach to their careers, which is likely to put them at a further disadvantage when it comes to pushing for salary reviews and asserting their value within an organisation.
Whilst we clearly need change at an organisational level, individual women do have the power to help accelerate progress and blaze the trail of change by valuing their own skills and being bolder about pursuing their career ambitions on their own terms.
Top 10 tips for levelling the gender gap in your own career:
1.Don't shy away from discussing money with your boss - it's a business, not personal relationship and a good boss will respect you for taking a direct approach
2.Avoid personal references to how much others around you earn and instead focus on demonstrating why you are worth a pay rise - make sure you are armed with examples of how you've added value in your role
3.Using a counter offer can be an effective way of securing the pay rise you want. However it can be a tricky strategy and you must be prepared to move on if your employer doesn't rise to the challenge
4.You don't have to wait for an annual pay review to make the approach - maximise on a major achievement by striking while the iron's hot
5.Make sure that your line manager or employer is aware of your ambitions for progression. Too often people are left to fester in the wrong 'career box', not because they aren't good enough to progress but because they haven't made their ambitions clear
6.Go for internal promotions - if your company is hiring for a level above you, you can put yourself forward for the job. It may help to discuss this with your manager first to get them on your side
7.Don't settle for second best. If you're not getting the support you need then look for opportunities elsewhere
8.Don't tell potential employers how much you earn unless directly asked as it immediately limits your space for negotiation. Don't be afraid to be assertive in negotiations and trust your instinct about what you are worth
9.Don't be afraid to discuss flexible working arrangements if this is an important part of what you want. While face time is important, technology and the increasingly global nature of the workforce means that companies that can embrace flexible and remote working will have the edge. If your employer is reluctant, suggest starting small and on a trial basis and track the efficiency of those involved throughout the experience
10.Don't worry about 'having it all' straightaway - think about what's most important to you at this time in your life, reassess every year or so, have confidence to put plans in place and to take positive action, and your career will follow