JOHN
KIRKSEY
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A shift
in the way corporate America views women’s
roles in the workplace began in the 1970’s and though
women are now seen as a vital part of management in major
organizations, there is still a need to ensure diversity
efforts are truly inclusive. While more and more women
are taking on senior level positions, has corporate America
really made an effort to embrace all women?
People entering the work force today probably can’t imagine
a time when women weren’t a prominent part of the corporate
landscape. This is largely due to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The civil rights movement of the 1950s and ‘60s resulted
in an increased emphasis on opening the doors of organizations
to all people. In fact, the women’s movement flowed out of
the initial push for civil rights for people of color.
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One of the problems I’ve consistently seen with diversity
in organizations over the 30 years, and throughout corporate America,
is that Caucasian women have been much more readily accepted as
a part of the corporate scenery than have women of color. There
is some disassociation of the women’s movement within the
broader diversity movement. In other words, not all women have
been part of the progress.
As recipients of the benefits of the civil rights movement, we
all have an obligation to make sure the move toward diversity doesn’t
become less inclusive than when it began. How do we share the wealth
and expand the progress that’s been made by many women in
business to include all women? Catalyst, a New York-based
independent, nonprofit organization research and advisory group
that works to expand opportunities for women at work, addressed
this issue in a research study titled “Women of Color in
Corporate Management: Three Years Later.1” Catalyst tracked
368 Black, Hispanic and Asian female managers. The study found
that while women of color were taking charge of their careers and
had a high level of career satisfaction, finding them in senior
level positions was (and still is) rare.
Another report found that there were more women in corporate officer
positions at companies in industries in which women represent 49
percent or more of the total workforce, including finance, insurance,
real estate, retail trade and service2. Many financial services
organizations have an overall staff of about 60% women. Leveraging
from this base, the financial services industry has the opportunity
to outshine other industries. There is opportunity to convert more
of those women into leadership positions.
Women executives can all help promote at least one up-and-coming
professional woman -- mentoring is critical to career advancement. Some
individuals and organizations are already making tremendous advances
in this area. It’s a matter of getting upper and senior
management in organizations to adopt these practices and consider
diversity a vital part of their business decisions.
Encourage the Next Generation
We all know education is the foundation upon which success is
built. Fostering successful careers for future generations of women
begins with the right education. In women-only schools, both high
schools and colleges, women studying math and science perform just
as well as, if not better than, men at comparable schools. Being
in a women-only environment means that these young women are not
as influenced by society’s stereotypical career models for
men and women — stereotypes that start as early as junior
high. My point is that women can and do excel in math and
science; it is that they are not encouraged to pursue careers requiring
those skill sets. The women-only academic environment nurtures
achievement in ways that co-ed schools do not.
Women of all ethnicities should not limit themselves. They
need to get more involved in the bottom line areas of businesses. As
executives and leaders, women should think about how they can mentor
and coach younger professional women and help them develop prospects
in areas dominated by men. This broadens opportunities for professional
women entering the workforce will move up the corporate ladder.
It’s also important to identify and cultivate talent early.
Community involvement is vital as an opportunity to share your
own professional experiences with young women who may be entering
college or looking for a first job. You may connect with someone
who simply needs career guidance. Some companies are very adept
at taking their company message to communities that may be ignored,
such as low-income or minority neighborhoods. In reaching out to
these communities, companies are creating customers, branding their
organizations, and familiarizing women of color with careers they
may not have known existed.
Training programs and cross-functional job opportunities are great
ways to identify and develop talent internally. Retail banks are
leading the pack when it comes to moving women of color up through
the ranks. They typically develop and promote from within, preparing
internal candidates for mid-level management positions.
Diversity is a relevant topic for anyone in the world of business.
And it continues to be an increasingly important factor in companies’ decision-making
processes. While the corporate landscape has changed drastically
over the past few decades so that it better represents available
talent, we all need to do our part to push the progress further
toward full inclusion
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