With almost a million women-led SMEs in the UK currently, there are a huge range of sectors where female entrepreneurs are making their mark at the top. However, figures suggest that it’s the sectors that are traditionally perceived as more ‘female’ where the majority of women business owners and leaders are still to be found, compared to just a small minority in industries such as manufacturing and agriculture
Sectors where females are under-represented need to re-evaluate their strategies or risk missing out on a raft of talent.
That’s according to the Minister for Women and Equalities and Minister for Business, Jo Swinson. She told TJ that investing in training and development of staff is vital for retaining talent and maximising productivity.
“Training and development professionals can have an important role to play in helping women in the industry to develop their careers, fostering the success and visibility that encourages others to follow them,” she said
“Some organisations already run mentoring schemes for women; others have excellent outreach programmes for young women interested in the industry. Challenging stereotypes within the organisation, and training employees to recognise and correct unconscious biases are also key. I would encourage all organisations to think about how they can make sure both women and men have the support and opportunities to reach the top, and to share their good practice with others.”
With almost a million women-led SMEs in the UK currently, there are a huge range of sectors where female entrepreneurs are making their mark at the top. However, figures suggest that it’s the sectors that are traditionally perceived as more ‘female’ (such as health and social work, education and food services) where the majority of women business owners and leaders are still to be found, compared to just a small minority in industries such as manufacturing and agriculture.
“There are still many sectors of our economy where women are under-represented, especially in leadership positions. This is not only limiting women’s careers, but depriving those industries of an enormous amount of talent.
“Allowing parents to balance work and family life is important for women and men across all sectors. Women wanting to enter male-dominated industries may worry there will be old-fashioned attitudes towards parenting or care, even though some companies have strong initiatives to support families.”
She added: “We also know that many men want to be more involved in family life but fear that taking up shared parental leave or asking for flexible working will impact negatively on their careers. The extension of flexible working and the introduction of shared parental leave are an opportunity for male-dominated industries to show that they too back parents. Demonstrating your agility in supporting families, and training your staff to provide this support, helps to recruit and retain high quality male and female employees.”
