I had an unexpected ‘WOW!’ moment last week whilst doing a simple review of my Linked In connections (over 8000 people). What I observed as I went through the data shocked me; the after-shock was that I hadn’t been more aware.
What became obvious as I sipped coffee in Starbucks and scrolled, was that the ratio of female to male profiles was very low. As I dug deeper into this and crunched the data, I was more than surprised to discover that only 20% of my professional network is female.
Whilst we know that the level of female representation at the executive level is a huge business challenge (a 2022 Mercer analysis states an average 26% representation globally), having spent the last 10 years in executive search supporting global clients addressing their leadership gender gap and championing female careers, I expected a different result.
I’ve since pondered heavily on the reasons for this, such as the management consultancy and tech services space being particularly underrepresented; the fact there are fewer women on Linked In than men, but the truth is that whether it’s 20% of my network or 26% of the global market, the figures are just too low.
So, either just like me women are choosing to leave their industries, or they are staying but not getting the promotions or opportunities that will get them to the leadership level.
If there is a positive in this, it is the reinforcement of the ethos behind Life Body Health in providing a solution for both individuals and organisations wanting to invest in themselves or their female leaders / leaders of the future. Focused on upskilling, wellness, retention, promotion, reward, encouragement and mentorship, it’s time to do more within the working environment to help women reach their true potential.
For way more insight on this topic, check out McKinsey’s ‘D&I Women in the Workplace’ report from 2022: https://lnkd.in/eRuuMQDP
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