Over one in 10 (13%) of female leaders in the UK encountered boardroom discrimination in the last year, shows a new study by Russell Reynolds Associates.
A small but significant minority (6%) of female board members have also experienced bullying or aggressive behaviour from other members of the board.
According to the research by Russell Reynolds Associates, this discrimination takes the form of microaggressions, unequal pay, having ideas quickly dismissed, being excluded from work related events, and open sexist remarks.
While these attitudes are far from the norm for male leaders, the findings reveal that sexist attitudes are stubbornly persisting in some boardrooms despite progress.
The high profile case of Aviva’s annual general meeting where we saw Amanda Blanc, Aviva’s first ever female CEO subjected to sexist remarks and being openly told that she was ‘not the man for the job’ and that she ‘should be wearing trousers’ is, sadly, not unusual.
How does this compare internationally?
Women in the UK are more than twice as likely as those in the USA (6%) or Australia (6%) to say they have experienced gender discrimination in the boardroom.
More than 1100 supervisory board-level directors from companies with median revenue of between US$2-10 billion globally responded to the research. UK directors numbered 205 of the 1100 responses.
Boardroom discrimination: how are diversity issues dealt with?
The findings also show the challenges of stopping at just one or two female board members, with 15 percent of women saying they feel outnumbered when raising diversity related issues on the board.
Also, 19 percent say they struggle to get board members to consider issues outside of their personal experience.
In February, the FTSE 100 Women Leaders Report found that the number of FTSE 350 boards that met the 33 percent female leadership target, set in 2017, increased to 278 Boards, from 220 in 2020.
This has prompted the target to be increased to 40 percent female leadership by 2025. The report also found that 52 percent of board members agree diversifying the board is a priority.
While the outcome of the Hampton-Alexander Review and FTSE 100 Women Leaders Report have been viewed as positive progress in the UK, it is clear there is still more to be done to stamp out sexism in corporate Britain.
“Government backed targets like the Hampton-Alexander Review have helped to increase the number of women entering the boardroom, but there is still more work to be done to make boards truly representative of the customers and the workforce that companies serve. And while many men are advocates for change, we’ve found that too many brilliant women are held back by a culture which marginalises them,” says UK Country Manager and co-lead of the board & CEO practice in Europe for Russell Reynolds Associates, Laura Sanderson.
“Many senior women face sexist remarks at work, but to see it so boldly displayed during an AGM, like in Amanda Blanc’s case, highlights the extent of the problem. To enact real change, we must call out these behaviours in real time. We must openly talk about our experiences as it allows other women to know they are not alone and makes men more aware of the sexism that can exist in senior leadership positions, so they are equipped to be better allies,” adds Ms Sanderson.
Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.
