A worrying new report has exposed the huge disparity between women and men in the top roles in politics and public life, with figures showing that the situation has worsened over recent times. Sex and Power 2013: Who Runs Britain? (PDF) shows that Britain has slipped from 33rd in the global league table relating to the representation of women in politics in 2001, to 60th by the end of last year.
Compiled by equality campaign Counting Women In – a coalition of five groups including the Electoral Reform Society, Unlock Democracy and the Hansard Society – the report’s figures make grim reading in a variety of areas:
Only 22.5% of MPs and 14.6% of police and crime commissioners are women.
Women comprise just 13.6% of the senior judiciary and 5% of national daily newspaper editors.
In finance and the economy, the numbers are similar – women take just 17.3% of FTSE 100 director positions, and 11.1% of UK bank CEO positions.
No women at all sit on the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee.
The latter statistic is perhaps the most interesting, with the banking crisis of 2008 widely blamed on a masculine, risk-taking culture. Some have argued that the presence of women at the top could have mitigated this destructive culture. The report lobbies strongly for a greater representation of women in positions of power, with a key point being the great waste of brainpower and education that is currently taking place – a malaise embodied by a prevailing “glass ceiling” for women. It advocates a series of steps to promote women – none of which are revolutionary, or could be argued with. Simply put, the government and business groups should work to ensure a fairer mix at all levels.
However, the scale of what they face is aptly demonstrated by a current whistleblowing tribunal at the BBC, in which executive Mark Thomas is accused of sexism – allegedly stating that “women with child-caring responsibilities should not hold senior management positions” as they are unable to divide their focus.
It is a recurrent argument used against women: that ultimately they will have children and not be able to perform a high-intensity job appropriately. But it is a cheap and flawed argument, as flexible working conditions can benefit both men and women and ultimately enable the country to exploit the full strength of its workforce – something that would be particularly welcome during the current recession.
However, the figures clearly demonstrate that it is not happening by itself, and that further government legislation may be required. Of course, given the lack of women in government itself, only time will tell whether this will actually happen.