WOMEN LEADERS


is unlikely to be uniform, the roles technology is replacing tend to be those where women’s participation is highest – for example, office and administrative roles. “Also, the areas that see growth – for instance, the digital


and science, technology, engineering and mathematics [STEM] sectors – are where female professional representation is quite low. It’s therefore an ongoing issue of how to get more graduate and professional women into STEM sectors.”


The talent pipeline Last year, Mercer’s research showed that a key factor globally in moving more women into senior posts was representation in commercial, outward-facing roles. In the context of STEM- centred enterprises, the challenge of female representation is doubled. “Very often, involvement in these important professions is a


stepping stone to leadership positions in these key sectors,” said Julia Howes. “If women aren’t involved at these middle and commercial levels, then the pipeline stops. The initial movement at the top could stall if we don’t move more women into STEM jobs.” This paints quite a bleak picture for


the future of female representation in senior leadership. Yet there is hope. “The opportunity comes with increasing female involvement in STEM/digital industries and roles. It then becomes about how we break down the stereotypes,” continued Julia Howes. “For example, there was a study about


women in engineering. School-age young women were asked what they thought about engineering. They thought it was about getting dirty. “At this stage, girls often want to be


in work that helps people – medicine, for example. A lot of the challenge is changing perceptions and showing that, actually, digital services, engineering and mathematics are extremely helpful in our societies, and these professions are involved in doing things better. “Tech isn’t just people in hoodies working


all hours in a dank basement eating McDonald’s!”


Changing perceptions Initiatives like Girls Who Code are helping to change attitudes and bring more young women into these growing professions. It was also important to look at the data and think in a


more informed way about how the technology sector itself was changing, said Julia Howes. She explained, “We seem to think of the issue of automation and technology in a very binary way. Actually, STEM sectors are very analytical, which is why they are being automated. “Some of the real value comes from applying it in creative,


flexible and innovative ways. These are key skills in making digital leaps work, and, very often, they are skills that women have been shown to have. “So really, there are two opportunities. The first is to educate


people about how important creativity and innovation are to STEM subjects. The second is to reflect that in reward packages.”


“When people come into the workforce as graduates and


apprentices, they are equal,” noted Julia Howes. “The balance in pay and progression shifts when women start families, and this doesn’t surprise me from a pay and progression point of view. “This is why it is important for managers and men to be


involved in the issue. When men become more involved in caring, and society accepts this, is when I believe there will be a bigger shift in the middle. Until f lexibility is an issue for everyone, this social change won’t happen.”


Flexibility and representation This spring sees the UK’s largest companies publish their gender pay analysis. Asked what we can expect to see, Julia Howes said, “What we tend to find is that any gap is less and less about bias – for example, similar people doing similar jobs – and more about who does what in an organisation. Companies have enough structure to ensure bias is minimised or removed. The issue for gender pay among our clients is one of representation. ➲


Re-evaluating skills and their value? At the end of last year’s When Women Thrive webinar, research lead Patricia Milligan made a tantalising point about current disruptive trends being an opportunity to reframe pay and reward to ref lect demographic trends and the brave new world of work. “As the future of work hits us, the skills that have


traditionally been valued will be less so as automation takes hold,” Julia Howes continued on this theme. “At the moment, the characteristics of creativity and innovation aren’t valued as much, and therefore are not paid as well. A shift may occur as innovation becomes more valued.” For now, it is encouraging that the latest pay data for the


UK shows the gender pay gap narrowing significantly for people at an early stage of their careers. In addition, f lexible working is becoming more commonplace for senior people and those at upper salary levels.


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