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“How to increase women leadership in your company and why it matters.”

May 22, 2021 By: Basic 0 Comment

We cannot deny the existence of gender discrimination, can we? Some men are given free will to choose their career paths. As they embark upon their journeys at any organization, they are delegated with more responsibilities that women stay deprived of. This is a consequence of some employers viewing women as less capable beings to carry out a particular job. This gives men a chance to be seen, appreciated, and acknowledged in an organization.

Hence, it is a fact that in various organizations, the pay scales of men are higher than those of women. Positional bias is another gender bias at a workplace that prevents women from stepping up the rung of the corporate ladder. In many organizations, women are not given an opportunity to join the board of directors. This is exactly why the new code of corporate governance made at least one woman's active participation on board mandatory.

There are some businesses that assign the mundane and hectic tasks to the women, while some do not call female employees to important meetings. Is it fair? In the past few decades, many female employers have turned into whistleblowers to sue their employers. These women weren't allowed to lead; they were bullied and terminated for speaking up for their rights. Although new rules are passed every day to safeguard women's rights and provide them with opportunities to lead, yet this is not possible until the parties involved work on increasing women's leadership in an organization.

Importance of women leadership:

Why do you think women’s leadership matters? Do we really need it? Yes, certainly we do. Many big firms all around the globe have lately come to a realization that women leadership brings many benefits to the organization. Also, they found out that women are irreplaceable in the boardrooms and in leadership roles.

Firstly, women leaders help close the pay gap caused by gender bias. When men and women start their careers from scratch, men get better opportunities that lead them to high-paying leadership roles. Women, on the other hand, stay deprived of such roles. This problem can only be solved by employing women in leadership roles.

Secondly, women in leadership roles offer a broad spectrum of perspectives to work out better solutions. Their diverse experiences and perspectives would not only bring innovation to the organization but would also help devise better strategies for the long run. This is exactly why companies with a greater diversity outgrow those with lesser diversity. Hence, women in leadership roles are a must in every organization.

Thirdly, researchers have proven how gender-diverse companies receive a better financial outcome. Diversity leads to unique and different ideas flowing into an organization which fuels growth in combination with greater sustainability. This diversity does not only relate to an equal number of men and women throughout an organization but also to an equal number of females and males in leadership roles. Hence, female leadership is very significant for the success of any business.

Furthermore, women are known to be better mentors as compared to men. How? Research proves that in the fields of guiding young employees and mentoring, women are proven to be better. We cannot negate the power of role models, can we? Role models inspire others to be like them. Irrespective of the genders, all individuals need a good mentor so they can excel in their careers. Also, females tend to face problems when mentored by men and vice versa. So women in leadership roles and as mentors are necessary so they can mentor and empower the future generation of female leaders.

Lastly, it has been observed over the years that women can better negotiate in situations involving high stakes. They are more effective and efficient at making deals even when the stakes involved are high. Women are known for achieving agreements where men fall short; however, to do this, they need to possess authority. These are the reasons that showcase the importance of women in an organization and explain why women’s leadership is very crucial to the success of any organization.

Now that it has been established that women in leadership are very important, how can you increase women leadership in your company?

Actively recruit women in your company:

Providing equal opportunities and recruiting females in different leadership positions is the first step towards achieving women leadership in your company. You must also analyze your manpower composition to ensure equality. An immediate set of actions must be taken if needed. Once the recruitment has been done, you must conduct employee surveys to identify any potential or existing inequalities. You must focus on treating female candidates at par with the male candidates during the recruitment for senior leadership positions.

Conducting training for female members:

Giving training to female members helps foster women's leadership in an organization. This is gender equality training that aims to provide knowledge, tools, and techniques to polish the skills of women as well as influence their attitude and behavior in a positive manner. Formal training and workshops must be organized in your business to enhance women's leadership. Also, existing employees must conduct informal training frequently by sharing their experience and knowledge with the female members.

Develop and promote a women-friendly organizational culture:

The organizational culture acts as one of the obstacles to female leadership. Even if a female makes it to the leadership position, the organizational culture treats women as misfits and alienates them from important decision-making. Also, the expression of opinions and ideas is hindered. Hence, you must develop a female-friendly culture in your business that promotes women leadership and assesses women not on the basis of their gender but on their talents and skill-sets.

Flexibility in schedules:

You must encourage flexible work programs that suit your female employees. Giving them an opportunity to work a few days remotely would help them feel encouraged. If a woman leader needs to spend some time at home with her children or sick parents, she must be given so, and the company must exhibit some faith in the employee that she will get her work done.

Fringe benefits:

You must offer some fringe benefits to women i.e.; Chevron is a multinational company that offers fitness and self-care equipment and areas within their globally operating office premises. This helps their female employees work out and get facials within their office premises. It fosters women in leadership roles to take up more responsibility and work better. You must also offer some fringe benefits to your female employees.

Offer family support:

For women, it becomes extremely hard to manage their households with their work routine. Hence, you must work towards developing a stress-free environment for the females in your business. You can do this by offering daycare for the children of women in leadership roles in your company. This will enhance female leadership in your company. In a nutshell, it can be said that there are a plethora of qualities of a woman leader that benefit the organization. Hence they are important and must be given leadership roles.

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