Leadership roundtable: Closing gender gaps in the workplace

Nottingham Business School Business Leaders

Nottingham Business School Business Leaders Podcast

Roundtable: Closing gender gaps in the workplace - Episode 24

It’s well-known that girls out-perform boys in GCSE exams. And A-Levels. And university studies, too.

Young women are also much better communicators than their male counterparts, say educationalists.

Yet Government figures show, on average, women still earn almost fifteen per cent less than men.

So, when will women gain equality in the workplace - and the gender pay gap disappear?

“It’s probably just a few more years of changing the demographic in organisations,” says Melanie Currie, Deputy Dean of Nottingham Business School, which has more than 8,000 students.

She tells the NBS Business Leaders’ Podcast: “I’m optimistic… there will come a tipping point. The wave of incoming super talent is really building… to change the workforce.”

In this special episode of the Business Leaders’ Podcast, three respected women leaders discuss gender equality in the workplace in 2023, with Honorary Visiting Professor Mike Sassi.

The Office for National Statistics says that on average, across the working population in 2022, women were paid 14.9 per cent less than men.

Natalie Fahy, audience director for regional publisher Reach Plc, believes part of the role of leaders like herself is to encourage young women to push themselves forward and help bridge that gender pay gap.

She says: “We need to get girls when they're young and say to them, look, you can do this job if you want! It's not just journalism… it's science, engineering... every job. We need to get girls to be more assertive.

“There are a lot of men who come to me and say: Can I have a pay rise? There are not so many women doing that."

Fellow guest Sian Hampton – CEO of the Archway Educational Trust, which has nine schools, 8,500 pupils and a £50m turnover – believes leaders have to embrace cultural change, for every woman to be given an equal opportunity to make the most of their career.

“Leadership doesn't have to be aggressive and cut-throat,” says Sian.

“It can be collaborative and empathetic. But it must be firm and clear. People must feel safe to make mistakes and ask questions, and know they are looked after, for them to be effective.

“They've got also to be good at their jobs. So, this doesn't mean they’re not accountable and difficult conversations won't take place.

“But that whole area of radical candour – where we can give people feedback to help them to get better – must be done within a cultural norm of ‘this is how we are in this organization’.

“People must know what they need to do to progress and recognise that it's not just about who you know. It's about how effective you are.”

Melanie Currie believes young women who aspire to take on roles in management and leadership, should recognise they’ll need courage to reach the top... but they shouldn’t feel the need to change their behaviour.

She tells the podcast: “I remember when I took on the job of Deputy Dean I thought, ‘today I’m going to have to be different!’

“Then, two minutes after I had that thought, I realised I just had to be who I am. Being a leader is about being authentic. If you’re pretending, you get into trouble.

“You also have to be brave because there are a lot of walls to knock down, there are a lot of battles to fight. A lot of flak will be coming your way. But you must stay focused on what is right.”

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