Bold steps needed to support women in the workplace
(Image credit: Photo by Alexander Suhorucov on Pexels)
Here we are again celebrating International Women’s Day 2023 and the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of both women and girls.
Every year, many around the world bring awareness to the progress being made towards achieving gender equality in the workplace, while at the same time, knowing that many challenges still exist.
You likely received an internal comms message recognizing women employees for their valuable contributions.
Did the email, video message or event announcement include a bold statement, a reality check that your organization or business needs to do better? Are leaders taking accountability that there is still a long way to go? Are your policies getting updated and programs being enhanced so that women reach their full potential and move up the leadership ranks? Are bold changes being made to improve the workplace culture and action items executed based on feedback from your employee engagement survey or pulse check?
You’ve also likely read all the latest reports and studies and heard many personal stories. And they aren’t always positive.
Canadian Women’s Foundation workforce statistics
The Canadian Women’s Foundation highlights some workforce statistics from various sources:
10 times more women than men in Canada have fallen out of the labour force since 2020 – RBC Economics
76.8 cents is the average earned by full-time working women for every dollar men make – Statistics Canada
A possible $150 billion in incremental gross domestic product (GDP) growth in Canada accelerated progress on gender equality – McKinsley & Company
The Foundation also addresses many issues related to the gender pay gap, gender impacts post pandemic, gender-based violence, sexual assault, women in poverty, online hate and cyberviolence, the #MeToo movement, barriers for girls, and intersectional feminism.
They are our mothers, sisters, daughters, friends, co-workers and others in the community and around the globe simply wanting to make a difference and a future that is bright for themselves and their families.
Everyone works extremely hard to achieve success, and it’s unfair that women get mistreated and undermined in the workplace. This treatment is detrimental to one’s mental health, well-being and overall performance.
Each time a woman stands up for herself she stands up for all women.
– Maya Angelou
The Tall Poppy Syndrome
Did you know that based on new research, about 90 per cent of women across the globe are penalized and undermined in the workplace because of their achievements?
Have you ever felt a co-worker’s resentment after a proposal presentation that you worked so hard on? Has a manager pointed out your faults instead of complimenting you for taking on extra projects? Did you receive a rejection letter for that well deserved promotion to a more senior position? Did someone make a stereotypical comment about your age or asked when you are going to retire?
You feel it in the pit of your stomach, your mood changes, or you recall that unpleasant experience years later.
Women have generally experienced the “tall poppy syndrome” at some point in their career. According to a new study, Tall Poppy Syndrome occurs when people are attacked, resented, disliked, criticized or cut down because of their achievements and/or success. This continues to be a major silent systemic issue in workplaces around the globe with negative outcomes for organizations.
You can learn more about The Tallest Poppy 2023 – a first-ever international research study by the Women of Influence+ and led by Dr. Rumeet Billan.
About the Prosperity Project
We all know that gender bias and discrimination is still prevalent in the workplace. And it’s even worse for underrepresented groups including racialized women, Indigenous people, those with a disability or from the LGBTQ2S+ community.
The Prosperity Project’s third Annual Report Card on Gender Diversity and Leadership: The Zero Report states that as the pandemic subsides and many are returning to work, the representation of women in leadership roles is in jeopardy, particularly for women with an intersecting identity.
There has been a 2.8% decrease of women representing the senior management level and an 11.9% decrease in the pipeline to senior management levels. The report card claims that over the next decade, Canada is in a risky situation of losing more women in leadership roles if organizations don’t act and commit to better recruitment, hiring and promotion practices that promote gender equality.
The findings show that there continues to be a significant underrepresentation of women with intersecting identities including Black and Indigenous women, women with disabilities and those who identify as 2SLGBTQ1A+:
Women of colour hold 9.4% of women-held leadership roles, and while this is an increase from 2022 (6.2%), there is still more work to be done
Indigenous women and Black women remain below 1% representation with 0.3% and 0.9%
2SLGBTQIA+ women and women with disabilities rose slightly to 1% and 1.5%
There are positive outcomes in the two most senior leadership roles:
Women represented slightly more than one-third of corporate director roles (34.8%), maintaining the 2022 representation (34.2%)
Representation of women in executive officer roles increased to 32.3% in 2023 compared to 29.2% in 2022
As well, this report also showcases leading organizations and CEOs who are addressing environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues by collecting intersectional data on women’s representation at the leadership level.
Black Canadians in the Workplace Survey
To further amplify this issue, KPMG recently spoke to 1,000 Canadians about their experiences in the workplace with many experiencing some form of racism. Sadly, about 72 percent of Black Canadians have experienced some form of racism or microaggression in the workplace. Here are some key takeaways from the report and some recommendations to make workplaces more inclusive, and to demonstrate that racism will not be tolerated.
89% want companies to establish employee resource groups if one does not exist
88% want stronger commitments and targets for hiring and promoting more Black employees with clear and measurable outcomes
86% say more Black people should be appointed to the board of directors or other senior management positions, making sure that the diversity is represented on new hires and existing employees being promoted to decision-making positions
82% want more education and anti-racism training for all employees and management
76% say their company needs a major culture change in order to make these achievements
There is so much information out there. The bottom line is that there needs to be radical moves to improve positive work environments where women are respected, empowered and given equal rights in society.
People need to be held accountable for creating toxic workplace environments. It needs to stop. Enough is enough.
Let’s keep pushing boundaries to break down barriers, strengthen allyships and embrace equity to the fullest.