Esther's blog: Diversity? Why still bother?

Diversity is very much in the public eye at the moment and there’s lots to read about it.  A good starting point is Diversity UK’s website www.diversityuk.org.  In addition, a report, published in March of this year under the then Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/women-on-boards-numbers-almost-doubled-in-last-4-years), revealed that British businesses are making great strides towards the 25% target for women on FTSE 100 boards set by Lord Davies in 2011

So what is there to add to this wealth of information and backdrop of triumphalism? Well, first a note of caution and secondly I offer some personal reflections. I focus here purely on gender diversity given the nature of our network, whilst acknowledging we need better ethnic diversity too, as well as support and understanding for people with a range of disabilities, if we are to have a fairer and more prosperous society. 

My note of caution is that as the then-Business Secretary Vince Cable noted, in reference to the latest Davies report, “our work is not complete. British business must keep its eye on the long game, as we strive to achieve gender parity”.  And separate reports note that though the situation seems improved for the FTSE 100 companies, smaller businesses still have a long way to go. Certainly experience running the Citymothers Mentoring Scheme and hearing the stories of mentees and of my own coaching clients, supports this view. 

So on to a few personal reflections (I had more, but realised I’d be way over my word limit).     

First reflection.  Let’s carry on leaning in, not out, and it helps to have role models to follow.  When I was an academic in Oxford in the mid to late 1980s I recall asking my brilliant women undergraduate students if they believed they had suffered any sexual discrimination, and they answered robustly no. No need to lean in, they told me (or would have done if Sheryl Sandberg’s book had been written then). I thought to myself, “wait until you are a young mother”, as I was at the time where, as soon as your tummy bulged with a baby, it was assumed you’d stop work. Several years later I gave up my aspirations to become the first female professor (or even senior lecturer) in the UK in my discipline. The lack of any role models was dispiriting - and so I went off to retrain as a City lawyer, not realising that from the diversity perspective it was out of the frying pan and into the fire.  I survived the fire, to become one of then fewer than 10% of women equity partners in my partnership of more than 500 individuals, and women who worked for me said I opened doors for them just by being there and getting on with my job.

I have lost count of the number of occasions when I’ve heard clearly able women saying that they “don’t want the responsibility” of a senior position.  This is very convenient for those people at the top, who want highly talented bag carriers, but bad for business because, as we know, diversity is good for business.  Personally, the more senior I got, the more autonomy and flexibility I had; I also earned more so could afford pay for a variety of childcare and domestic help in order to have some chance of being reasonably effective in my role at work and at home.

Second reflection.  Why isn’t childcare high-quality, fully state provided and controlled and above all tax-deductible?  This, together with men working in an environment where they were confident they could “lean out” for a while and take up shared parental leave, would produce a sea change.  One can only assume that it wouldn’t have won sufficient votes recently, and thus that the real political will isn’t yet there - hence the need to keep battling on.  

To finish, lighten the tone, and to show that there are many other areas than the City which still need addressing, try googling first “great conductors of classical music images” and then look at this link to see what the world has been missing (or google “a mighty girl photos women conductors”):    https://www.facebook.com/amightygirl/photos/a.360833590619627.72897.316489315054055/852996251403356/?type=1#

Esther is a member of the Citymothers Steering Committee and runs the Citymothers mentoring scheme. She trained and first made her living as a musician and then worked for over two decades in the City, becoming a partner in her law firm. She now combines legal consultancy, executive coaching, performing the piano, teaching and two non-executive Board positions in what seems to have turned into a third, portfolio career.