Grim statistics for women as leaders

The gender pay gap has been a topic of discussion during the last six weeks, and with good reason looking at the results of an O2 survey on female perceptions of workplace management announced earlier this year.

Almost a fifth of women believe it is impossible for them to reach a senior management role in business, according to a survey this year by the telecommunications giant.

More than 25 per cent of female employees say they have ambitions to become a chief executive, a third say they have failed to meet their career expectations and nearly half (48%) of women working in management or senior management roles believe all the decision makers in their company are male.

The report also investigated how women reflect on their achievements. When asked which factor had contributed most to their success, ?luck? was the most popular response, chosen by 35%. Only 27% attributed it to good quality training, and just 13% said it was because the organisations they work for encourage progression and promotion.

Ann Pickering, O2?s HR director and board member, said: “Our research shows that, while the diversity debate has moved on outside of the office, not enough women are actually seeing this progress at work. If we?re to achieve sustainable and long-lasting change, we can?t just look at women already at the top, we need to focus our efforts on women at every level, creating a strong pipeline of female talent across British businesses.”

In response to the findings, O2, in association with the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, launched a new guide to help businesses implement a ?Women in Leadership? programme, to help women with talent and potential to reach the highest levels in British businesses.

Read the report in full at bit.ly/1KVBvh8