Women still struggle to get top management jobs

Forty-one per cent of Midlands firms have no women in senior management roles. And in those that do, only 15 per cent of senior management posts are held by women, claims the Grant Thornton International Business Owners Survey. The international study, which was carried out across 6,900 medium sized businesses in 26 countries worldwide including 12 countries in Europe, found that Scottish women fared best in the UK, where the survey found the highest proportion of senior management posts held by women (21 per cent). The East of England fared the worst with 12 per cent, with the Midlands result only just beaten by Northern Ireland (16 per cent). On average, women occupy less than a fifth (18 per cent) of senior management posts available in the UK. The study also found that 38 per cent of UK businesses did not have any women in senior management positions, a situation which has not changed significantly in recent years. In 1996, 39 per cent of UK businesses had no women participating in the management, compared to 37 per cent in 2002.

Commenting on the results, Stephanie Warboys, partner at Grant Thornton, said: 'Although there are regional differences, it is disappointing to note that senior management remains a male preserve. The situation has not really improved in recent years, either. Women are still facing an uphill task to reach senior management.'

From an international perspective, Russia has the highest proportion (89 per cent) of companies where women occupy a management role, followed by the Philippines (85 per cent). Three quarters of businesses in the US, Mexico and South Africa (each 75 per cent) and Hong Kong (74 per cent) have women in management positions. Bottom of the pack are The Netherlands and Pakistan (both 27 per cent), Japan (29 per cent), and Germany (33 per cent). Russia is the only country to approach equal numbers with 42 per cent of management posts held by women, followed by the Philippines at 39 per cent. It is striking in the US, for example, that although 75 per cent of businesses employ at least one woman in a senior management position, women hold a mere 20 per cent of total senior jobs. At the other end of the scale, Japan and the Netherlands have the lowest results eight per cent and nine per cent respectively.

Ms Warboys continued: 'When analyzing the international results, cultural and historical differences should be born in mind. For example, under the communist regime in the former Soviet Union, state policy forced women back to work once a child was eight months old and the state provided nurseries for childcare. This culture underpins the need of businesses in Russia today to consider how to retain talented women.'

(from “Gateway to Russia” March, 12 ГОД???)

Task 7

Give your opinion on the following points:

1. How are Russian women motivated in striving for getting top management positions?

2. How has Russian women’s attitude to career in management changed since soviet times?

3. In what way does the culture of a country influence the percentage of women in top management?

4. Taking any country as an example, speak on the role of female in management.

5. Is there any possibility that Russian women will dominate over men in top management?

6. Do Muslim women have the opportunity to take part in the management process?