Difficulties for Women on the Rise

Recent studies from around the world paint a clear picture: developing women in business is worth the effort.   

Being interviewed for the The McKinsey Report, one female CEO reflected that thirty years ago she never would have imagined women’s development in business would have progressed so slowly.

Although the first phase of the battle has been won on the twin fronts of equality in educational opportunities and workforce participation, the barriers to women’s career development have persisted.

Three recent reports from: McKinsey & Co UK, The European Diversity Commission & The Institute for Employment Studies  may shed some light on why this is so.

In Australia, women now experience equal or greater representation in the fields of law, economics and business. However, at the senior executive level this figure falls to an average of 10.7%, dwindling further to only 2% of those sitting in the CEO’s chair.

A National Pre-School Program

The needs of a two year old are very different to those of a four year old. A national pre-school program would provide much more than just childcare.

What to say when talking to your kids…

It's important to tell kids that they are your priority and your motivation for doing what you do.

There's a lot of talk about work life balance, and the importance of creating parent friendly workplaces. There's a lot of talking with managers, and reports, there's a lot of talking to customers and peers. But when we're talking about talking we often forget to communicate with the one group who have the most to gain, and lose from more flexible work arrangements: we forget to talk to our kids!

The great thing about kids, and about taking the time to talk to them, is that they are so forgiving and so ready to understand. Like all working mums I've struggled with the guilt of not being able to get to this sports carnival, or that cake stall.