Back in April, I blogged on the importance of encouraging more females in the boardroom. And, unsurprisingly, the issue of women and work is still just as topical today. A report published earlier this week by Business, Innovation and Skills committee, for example, calls for the Government to do more to tackle female under-representation in certain sectors.
The Report made several suggestions for how to address workplace equality. Improvements with regards to flexible working, for instance, would be beneficial, not just for women but for all individuals. There was also found to be a worrying lack of careers advice for young people. And it was suggested that the Government needs a greater focus on this to ensure that girls don’t overlook science, engineering and mathematics sectors when it comes to choosing a career path.
However, there’s also a strong argument that there’s only so much that Government targets can do, particularly when it comes to encouraging women in leadership roles. A report carried out by the Women’s Business Council, for example, suggests that females are less likely than men to believe they have the skills needed to become entrepreneurs and are more likely to be prevented by a fear of failure. As such, it appears that it’s a lack of confidence rather than a lack of skills hindering females.
Perhaps the solution to this then is to strive to enhance resilience in females. One of a&dc’s key characteristics of resilience is self-belief and, in order to score highly, an individual would have confidence in their ability to address obstacles that they encounter in their work environment. Therefore, if businesses and individuals themselves could place a greater focus on developing this trait, women will be more likely to put themselves forward for challenging roles.