Women in Business

Gender diversity in leadership positions, some Thoughts ...

In the latest McKinsey report "Women matter: a way forward for Spain", in which 47 companies and 2000 employees participated, the situation of gender diversity in leadership positions is analyzed.

Some of the most relevant conclusions are:

• Women represent 19% of the Boards of Directors and 11% of the Executive Committees

• Spain is, in figures, very far from the current situation in the most advanced European countries: it is estimated that in Spain we would need more than 10 years to reach those levels

• Women often promote to positions in areas of support, not results management

• Only 26% of CEOs consider diversity among their strategic priorities

Grant Thornton in its report "Women in Business 2018", points out certain policies to achieve gender equality. The most relevant, focused on equal pay for equality of functions, equality in the recruitment process, and concrete measures of reconciliation. Nothing new.

The fact that these measures of equality have to be raised is a clear indicator of how far we are not only in equal access for women to leadership positions, but in equal access conditions to any position.

When we analyze the different regions of the world, we see that the proportion of senior positions held by women does not exceed 36% (Eastern Europe at the top with this figure), the European Union with 27% and North America with 21%.

On the other hand, if we focus on the percentage of companies with at least one woman in top management, we have Africa in first position with 89%, the European Union with 73% and Latin America with 65%.

The figures surprise.

Recently I heard an affirmation made by a well-known Norwegian businesswoman "For things to really change, companies must perceive the value of having a diverse team in senior management, and for this it is necessary to establish a clear link with profitability. "

Affirmations like this, continue to maintain an intrinsic and unintended message obsolete and even in some way harmful, since it introduces the justification of women as a factor in the equation: Diversity has to be justified in terms of profitability. In my humble vision, what must be justified is the management itself, as a whole, in terms of profitability, regardless of who this management team conforms to. And this extend to any work team.

What we should start to internalize if we want things to change is that the diversity of knowledge, talent, is what will bring value, regardless of whether it comes in the form of a man or a woman. And only when diversity is valued in these terms instead of the eternal man or woman dichotomy will be when we will all be on equal terms.