Despite the big strides we’ve taken towards workplace gender equality, there’s still significant work to do when it comes to promoting women and opening doors to leadership positions.
That’s why we’re asking women with career progression aspirations what they believe can help make it happen, via a quick two-minute poll (survey link here), thanks to our partner Cultivate Sponsorship.
As Women’s Agenda reported earlier this month, progress is going backwards in getting more women into CEO positions across Australia’s largest companies.
Just 25 women are leading ASX 300 companies, down from 26 in 2023, according to a new report from Chief Executive Women.
And the pipeline of women for such executive positions is tiny, with just one in eight CEO appointments going to women, compared to one in four in 2023.
According to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, men are more likely to hold the CEO role in almost every industry in Australia. Meanwhile, just 22 per cent of CEOs and 42 per cent of managers in Australia are women.
Promoting women into senior leadership isn’t just a good-to-have for diversity and inclusion either, it can also support the bottom line.
Research shows that firms with more women in senior positions are more profitable, more socially responsible, and provide safer, higher-quality customer experiences.
Many factors could prevent women from well-deserved promotions, including lack of visibility in the workplace, lack of flexible work options, discrimination, competition for the role and caring responsibilities.
For employers looking to make a difference on gender equality, sponsorship could be the answer. Not all talent is recognised, given opportunities or rewarded fairly, so better supporting women through mentoring opportunities is an effective way to help their career progress.
Understanding the lived experiences of women in the workplace is also key to enacting change that will make a real impact.
“Given recent data confirming the dismal state of gender equality in Australian C-Suite roles it is more important than ever to understand how all women are feeling about career progression. Are we motivated and clear on our goals and aspirations; or deflated, worried or unclear,” asks Katriina Tähkä, Managing Director at Cultivate Sponsorship.
“We often hear women share with us during our program that they do not make time to stop and intentionally think about their career and map out how they would like to grow and develop.”
“Sometimes the reason for this is that we are just so busy and exhausted juggling everything in the present that there is no energy left for planning the future; for others they prefer to work hard and have recognition follow,” adds Tähkä.
“This survey will be invaluable in understanding how women are feeling about their careers and progression in 2024.”
Take the survey here.