Archive for the 'Employment' Category

What about the gender pension gap?

Published on 27 January 2010 in Employment, Family and Gender issues. 3 Comments

Much attention is given to the gender pay gap, but one hears much less about the increasing gender pension gap –  a growing problem in most countries.

Pension systems are usually based on employment related contributions.  Women’s working patterns – long career breaks because of child rearing, part-time work , lower salaries and lower retirement ages – all result in reduced pension benefits.  Many women rely upon their partners for retirement income, but this is not always a secure option.  Coupled with their longer life expectancy,  these factors are forcing older women into the poorest demographic groups in many nations.

One solution would be for women to increase optional contributions to pension schemes, but during the economic downturn, fewer women can afford to save, especially those with dependent children.

Some developed countries try to compensate  for these differences through systems providing a universal minimum pension and credits for child rearing years. A few have even established pension schemes based on residence instead of employment or family work.

What is the situation in your country? How can the gender pension gap be addressed?  Most young women  do not think about the later impact of “lost” working years, lower salaries and part-time hours. How do you think women can build a financially secure future?

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Men vs Women in the Boardroom

Published on 14 October 2009 in Employment and Gender issues. 9 Comments

As more and more women take up top leadership positions, the question being raised is whether they bring a female touch to the boardroom or are simply continuing male leadership patterns. Research conducted in 2005 by the global consulting firm Caliper and Aurora, a women’s business network in the United Kingdom, suggests areas where the leadership styles of men and women differ.

They found that women demonstrate a more inclusive, team-building leadership style.  Women are more interested in first hearing all points of view and then making the best possible decision.   Women can be more persuasive than their male counterparts and better able to bring others to see their point of view.  They are also willing to modify their own position, if necessary.  Men, on the other hand, are more likely to push for their own perspective rather than persuading others and to convince through the strength of their position.

The research showed that women possess stronger interpersonal skills (empathy, flexibility and sociability) and are more assertive. However, they feel the sting of rejection and may dwell on it and tend to be a little self-critical. Confidence and helping them believe that they can do whatever they want to do is important.

The studies also found that women are more likely to ignore rules and take risks. They tend to have a greater need to get things done and are less likely to hesitate or focus on small details. They are also less interested in what has been than in what can be done.

Do these findings reflect your own work environment? Are there any other differences?

Source: The qualities that distinguish women leaders (Caliper 2005)

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Women and Leadership: a Delicate Balancing Act*

Published on 30 September 2009 in Employment and Gender issues. 5 Comments

In an article*, Hilary Lips, writes that leadership by women is a delicate balancing act. A women leader can neither be too “pushy” nor too “soft”, neither too strident nor too accommodating, neither too sexual nor too sexless. Women leaders are judged more strongly and far more is expected from them than from their male counterparts. They frequently face exclusion from “informal networks”, such as evenings out among male colleagues where decisions are made, which strongly impacts their general advancement.

Lips cites research that suggests that people listen and take direction more comfortably from men. In the study, when male and women leaders gave the same solutions, using the same words, the male leaders were received with attention, nods, and smiles and the women leaders by turned faces and frowning.

Perception of women leaders depends on the context. Lips discusses results from another study that showed that in Norway, with its long and deeply-rooted history of women’s involvement in leadership, women felt a strong sense of legitimacy in their leadership roles.  In France, in contrast, where this was relatively new and rare, that sense of legitimacy was absent, and women were called upon to prove themselves repeatedly. Norwegian women expressed joy and a sense of efficacy in their leadership roles; while the French women, spoke of difficulties, conflicts, loneliness, and marginality.

Have you experienced this balancing act during your career? How are women leaders viewed in your culture?

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*”Women and Leadership: Delicate Balancing Act”, article by Hilary Lips (April, 2009)

(In two weeks time we will blog on differences between men’s and women’s leadership styles)