Sadly, when a new Pew Research report tells us that women account for record levels of business leaders, the numbers remain low.
Gender Equality
The U.S.
For U.S. women, the CEO statistics are dismal:
Helping us grasp “dismal” U.S. gender leadership numbers, Equileap tells us that we have a “broken rung” and “leaky pipeline” problem. The rung is the first step on the ladder to management that prevents many women from even beginning to ascend. After that though, through a leaky pipeline, the women that make it to senior positions leave. The reasons, according to Equileap, include being undervalued, overworked, and the need for a more flexible work environment.
Using gender equality variables that range from a pay gap to gender balance, and parental leave, Equileap noted the 10 top U.S. firms:
Then, asking why, we can find reasons for gender inequality in this Pew Survey:
Globally
Among the 3,787 companies that Equileap surveyed, firms in Australia, the U.K., Germany, and Switzerland top the global gender equality list:
- Mirvac (Australia)
- Diageo (U.K.)
- Medibank (Australia)
- Allianz (Germany)
- UBS (Switzerland)
More generally, we can assess board membership, executives, senior management, and the workforce:
Our Bottom Line: Production Possibilities
Whenever any group is excluded, everyone suffers from the decline in the talent pool. Summarized through a production possibilities graph, the curve illustrates the maximum capability of the economy using all existing land, labor, and capital. Then, through a dot inside the curve, we can show underutilization:
Through its scorecard, Equileap gives us underutilization criteria:
With gender equality, what we really are displaying, though, is the harmful impact of exclusion.
My sources and more: Thanks to my Axios newsletter for alerting me to the newest gender Pew Research, here and here. From there, Marketwatch had a different spin that took me to the U.S. and Global Equileap reports. And finally, I do recommend returning to this econlife post.
