11/13/2017

Why the C-Suite Needs a Culture Change

Too many men think the gender equality problem has been solved

What does the conversation about equality in the workplace look like? For one thing, we remain deeply capable of thinking we’ve attained equality, even when we haven’t.

That’s one takeaway from the third annual “Women in the Workplace” survey published by LeanIn.org and McKinsey & Company. Last year’s study highlighted how women are often stymied in their climb up the corporate ladder: less than half of the respondents were in line for a C-suite job, and only 30 percent actually held them. This year’s study takes a closer look at the cultural forces that help create this divide. As Associations Now summarized it last month: “Women think gender equality is still a work in progress, while many men think the problem has been solved.”

That delusion runs pretty deep. As the summary of the report puts it: “Nearly 50 percent of men think women are well represented in leadership in companies where only one in ten senior leaders is a woman.” There are other examples of the divide: While half of men surveyed say their organizations consider diverse applicant pools, only 35 percent of women say so. More than 60 percent of men say their companies are doing what it takes to improve gender diversity, but only 49 percent of women agree. And while 55 percent of men say disrespectful behavior toward women in the workplace is handled quickly, only 35 percent of women say that’s so.

Please click here to read the complete article from Associations Now.