Mining operations continue to reveal significant gender disparities, with no more than one in five women holding executive roles in the largest mining firms. This data, released in The Pipeline's 8th annual Women Count report, underscores the mining sector's lag in achieving gender parity, especially when compared to sectors like transport, health, and electricity, which report at least 40% female representation on executive committees.
The Persistent Gender Gap in Influential Roles
The study suggests that women in the mining industry often occupy 'functional' roles rather than influential executive positions with profit and loss responsibilities, which are traditional precursors to CEO appointments. Despite women making up nearly half of those qualifying as accountants, only 18% hold the position of Chief Financial Officer in the FTSE350.
Varied Gender Representation Across Sectors
The Pipeline's research indicates stark disparities in female representation on senior teams within various sectors of the FTSE350. While some have surpassed the 40% mark, sectors like mining, IT, automobile, and private equity fall behind, with less than 20% female board representation. In private equity, notably, no women were found in executive committee roles.
Challenges and Perspectives of Senior Women
The report for the first time included a survey of senior women, aiming to understand the challenges they face in their careers. Key findings include:
47% cited workplace environment and culture as the largest obstacles.
44% felt their organizations did not emphasize sufficiently on supporting women's career ambitions.
48% pointed out the importance of flexibility and career advancement in leadership decisions to help women break through.
Calls for Action and Cultural Shifts
Leaders in the industry are urged to address the 'glacial' progress towards gender parity by recognizing workplace cultural barriers and inequitable promotion procedures. The Pipeline calls for businesses to set measurable targets for gender parity, particularly in executive roles with P&L responsibilities.
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