This article was written by Ellie Haden, Digital Business Analyst for London Borough of Barking and Dagenham . This article is one of the finalists in Apolitical’s 2020 women in government writing competition.

There are more CEOs named John than there are women running large companies.

It’s been 5 years since The New York Times revealed this statistic. Has there been enough significant change since? I’m pretty sure you can guess the answer.

Things are improving. 2020 has seen the highest number of women CEOs in Fortune 500’s list than ever before. But if equal representation is the goal, things simply aren’t improving fast enough.

Policies to encourage shared parental leave are rarely taken up. This highlights how the advancement of women in the workplace needs a combination of political, economic as well as social change. A policy on allowing fathers to take parental leave so mothers can go back to work has possibly not had the intended impact. Caregiving is still socially seen as a female responsibility, and men in relationships are often the higher earners. It doesn’t make financial sense for them to take parental leave.

Women in the workplace often find themselves stuck with the “office housework” such as note taking, ordering supplies or general admin compared to their male counterparts

The Workplace and Gender Equality Programme states that processes for advancing in the workplace disadvantage women, due to factors such as a lack of clear pay structures and standards for promotion.

The public sector doesn’t have this barrier, with its very standardised pay grades. Theoretically, it should be easier for women to advance their careers in the public sector and we should be trailblazing the increase of women in leadership and management roles.

So what can we do?

Promoting a work life balance. Wouldn’t this benefit us all? For example, not booking meetings in the diary after 3pm would give parents time to pick up their children and would give all employees time to get actual work done, rather than back to back check-ins with the team. A survey across a range of industries found that 65% of senior managers believe meetings keep them from completing their own work, and 71% said meetings are unproductive and inefficient. A trend seen in Millennial and Generation Z workers is the prioritisation of a work-life balance in terms of annual leave and flexible working, rather than a higher wage. This is a promising trend that should naturally benefit women with caregiving responsibilities in the workplace.

What, more specifically, can women do about this?

Work in a more Agile way. In Agile methodology, you prioritise based on needs of the “end user”. Women in the workplace often find themselves stuck with the “office housework” such as note taking, ordering supplies or general admin compared to their male counterparts. This leaves less time to spend on projects that could help advance their career. An email can be replied to a little later, someone else can type up the notes and actions from a meeting and you can focus on getting the job/ project done well using this as experience to apply for a more senior role.

All diversity makes a more productive workforce, with diversity of ideas leading to more innovation and financial gain

Tackle imposter syndrome. In the UK, more than 6 in every 10 women (66%) suffer from imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is when feelings of inadequacy persist despite evidence they are not. Those who suffer from this feel like they are fraudulent and don’t deserve their success. For example, feeling like you don’t deserve your job or are underqualified when you excel at your performance reviews. Not seeing many examples of people who look like you or share your background can lead to this and other forms of self-doubt. When senior leadership lacks diversity in gender, race and background, it encourages imposter syndrome for underrepresented groups.

If you suffer from imposter syndrome, there are tools and techniques to try and overcome this such as:

  • speaking to a trusted friend or mentor

  • reframing your thoughts- understanding that not asking for help can detriment your team

  • questioning your feelings of doubt.

What systems and structures need to change?

Continue to push against gender stereotypes. It’s 2020, and children should not be pushed towards a career because of the toys they play with. We also need to measure and promote the impact of a diverse workforce. Gender diversity makes firms more productive. In fact, all diversity makes a more productive workforce, with diversity of ideas leading to more innovation and financial gain. Organisations should be shouting this from the rooftops instead of simply claiming a diverse workforce makes them a “fair employer”.

Women don’t just deserve a seat at the table. The table needs them to be there. And it needs women from different ethnicities, abilities, and backgrounds.  Women in governments and public service need to know and feel empowered by this. — Ellie Haden

(Picture credit: Unsplash)

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