Flexibility – The pathway to female advancement in the workplace

In today’s world, many women wear two hats – as care-givers in the home and as breadwinners in the workplace. Many professional women aspire to develop their careers in the same way as men. Why then do so few women hold the position of CEO in large organizations? Spire Research and Consulting conducted a pro bono survey among women executives in China, Malaysia and India to understand the aspirations of professional women, the career impediments they face and what they feel should be done to overcome them. Our findings were published in the Japanese media: Yomiuri News, Yahoo News Japan, JChere News, Mynavi News, Shogakkan Biz Lady, Antenna, Livedoor, Excite and Ameba.

https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/media/flexibility-the-pathway-to-female-advancement-in-the-workplace/

The world is witnessing a dramatic social change that is still incomplete. Today’s women are more likely to hold a paid job and enjoy more economic freedom than women in previous generations. But this change has come with a price – many working women feel torn between work and home.

According to Spire’s survey of 300 female executives and managers in three countries, approximately 90 per cent of women aspired to become corporate leaders – the figure was 85 per cent in China, 90 per cent in Malaysia and 98 per cent in India. But many survey respondents – 46 per cent in China, 55 per cent in Malaysia and 44 per cent in India – said that inflexible working hours prevented them from balancing work and family time. This was followed by the absence of adequate child-care solutions. Another problem was the inability of most companies to allow women to take a few years break from work and return to the same position. All of these factors tended to slow the progress of women towards the C-suite.

To solve these problems, most respondents suggested flexible working hours with work-from-home options. Other suggestions were to increase the availability of childcare at work, to create mentorship programs for women leaders and to establish anonymous company hotlines to report discrimination or harassment.

In addition, most women in India (51%) and a significant minority of women in China (23%) felt that they had no role models of female corporate leaders to look up to. This would damage the effectiveness and confidence of women executives in the workplace vis-à-vis their male counterparts.

Corporate, governmental and non-governmental leaders should study these findings in order to engineer better solutions to the problems that are holding back half the workforce.

https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/media/flexibility-the-pathway-to-female-advancement-in-the-workplace/

Comments

FIFA World Cup 2018 holds lessons for successful team building

The FIFA World Cup 2018 is widely seen as one of the best World Cups in recent memory, with many surprises and goals aplenty. One talking point was the role of teamwork as opposed to just superstar talent. What lessons can businesses learn from the beautiful game? Leon Perera, CEO of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his thoughts in The Business Times – Views from the Top section on 23 July 2018. As World Cup fever draws to an end, the game lived up to its hype with breath-taking goals and outstanding performances. Perera highlighted the role of 'team effort' over mere individual talent, which was evident in the early failure of teams with world-class superstars like Argentina and Portugal. Perera also pointed out the importance of investing in new talent pipeline development, which paid rich dividends for France, the winning team and also one of the youngest teams in the World Cup. The game also highlighted the role of risk-taking. A relentless approach t...

Side Click: Are you under the surveillance camera?

Identifying VIPs with strong purchasing power is crucial to retail success. More often than not, retail staff fail to do this in time. Facial recognition technology can help prevent this. But does it put our privacy at risk? With high-spending customers making out-sized contributions to retail profitability, it is increasingly crucial for retailers to provide personalized customer service the minute a VIP customer sets foot in the store. For instance, Katie Holmes reportedly spent USD100,000 on a fashion makeover and USD14,200 on lingerie alone in 2012! This is where identification technology can play a role. NEC, a Japan-based ICT vendor, has developed an identification application based on a facial recognition system – comparing the individual’s facial features against its database, and sending prompts when a match is identified. The initial purpose of the application was to help identify terrorists and criminals , but it was subsequently adapted to the retail setting....

The race to invest in Vietnam – How FDI is changing Vietnam’s economy and society

Vietnam’s economy has been among the fastest growing in Southeast Asia. Today, it is a key destination for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the region. In 2016, FDI climbed to USD24.4 billion, a 9 per cent growth compared to 2015. This is despite Vietnam suffering an epic drought in 2016 and a third of its vast population of 93 million people living in poverty. Vietnam has won a reputation as a cheaper manufacturing hub compared to China. Could FDI propel Vietnam to become Asia’s next Tiger economy? A growing economy With a USD200 billion Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Vietnam’s economy is tracking well since the start of deep economic reforms – known as Doi Moi – in 1986. Since 1990, its GDP per capita growth has been one of the fastest among emerging economies, at an average 6.4 per cent (yearly) growth in the 2000s. Vietnam has improved provision of basic services. In 2014, the part of the population living below poverty line fell to 13.5 per cent – down from approxim...

Raising a glass to India’s wine market

India is not famous for its wine, but the nation does have a viticultural industry that has been producing wine for centuries. This industry suffered a major setback only in the 19th century when phylloxera – a wild pest – destroyed countless vineyards. Nonetheless, a few entrepreneurs in India are now taking great pains to restore the Indian wine industry, setting their sights on the massive vineyard spreads across Nashik, Maharashtra. This is where Rajeev Samant founded Sula Vineyards in 2002 – making a noteworthy entry into the global wine market. Amongst the first in India to be featured in Wine Spectator – a renowned industry magazine – his company currently holds 65% of the country’s wine market, making him the top wine producer in India. Will India’s entrepreneurs succeed in placing India on the world wine map? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/raising-a-glass-to-indias-wine-market/

The Indonesian Elections – Will it change the business landscape?

Since 1998, Indonesia has become one of the most dynamic and successful democracies in Southeast Asia today. Though it has navigated the global financial crises of the past five years relatively unscathed, infrastructure bottlenecks and regulatory hurdles have held back the country’s economic potential. How will the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections impact the Indonesian economy and the companies operating in it? Indonesia may become the world’s 7th largest economy by 2030. A growing young population, bountiful natural resources along with an expanding consumer base will help sustain growth. Indonesia’s 2014 elections have been touted by some observers as the country’s most important since 1955. What is at stake? 1. Economic growth Elections do have the ability to kick-start growth by boosting business and consumer confidence in ways that defy normal economic calculations. Witness the surge in confidence that accompanied the election victory of Japan...

The Knowledge to Decide

Search This Blog