The current situation of women in the company, what is their role?

What is the current situation of women in the company? What is their role? On this occasion we discussed the current situation of women in the business world together with Valle García de Novales, (Managing Partner of AV Asesores and member of the Board of Directors of Aragon) and María López Palacín, (Manager of Industrias López Soriano and member of ARAME).

Women in business: current situation

According Diario.es to the study by the Spanish Association of Executives and Directors, currently only 15.6% of the positions of responsibility in the Management Committees of IBEX 35 companies are held by women. What do you think of this information? What is the current situation of women in the business world?

What is the current situation of women in the business world?

Familiar with the study, Valle comments that this figure is indeed a current reality and it is unfortunate that this is the case. It is a mirror in which we look at ourselves, and although it is not the reality of all companies in the country, it is true that only around 23% of the positions of Directors are occupied by women, (several of them are even directors in several companies, so they are very few). There are many IBEX 35 companies in which there are no women on either the governing body or the management committee. That figure is pitiful at this point in the 21st century, and even more so considering that most of these women are occupying the departments of Communication and Human Resources, that is, there are many areas whose management is not yet occupied by women. María comments that this is part of an evolution and that this happens not only in the private sector but also in the Administration. At the management levels at the civil servant level or in the unions, in the University, it also happens, it is an example of society. Today, again, there are fewer women in technical careers than there were before.

It is important that there are women who are role models for girls and mirrors in which they can see themselves reflected. Maria López Palacín.

How to achieve real equality between women and men

There is legal equality, but the problem is that it is not real. How do you think equality could be helped to be real?

Valle comments that the capacity and talent of women is no longer discussed, but there is a need for a greater number of opportunities and a real change of mentality. We live in a society in which equality is legal on paper, but we need that cultural change that must be brought to the company and to society. In the statistics of the INE we still see that 90% of the leaves of absence to care for children and dependent people fall on women. Obviously, for a company, the person who is most likely to take these leaves of absence will be less interesting to hire. We have to reflect on why a woman always has to do it, so it is an absolute change of mentality.

Family co-responsibility

In this regard, Valle believes that we should not let things just happen, but that we must think about that aspect of “co-responsibility” in the family.

Within a couple, in order to create a family, decisions are made about the career of both parties being equally important and it must be decided, as well as the issue of taking the reduction in working hours, which if it always falls on the woman, she will have fewer opportunities to move up or have more responsibility. If women on average receive an average of 30% less salary due to these reductions in working hours at the time of retirement, that can be converted into 50% less pension. We also need to reflect on working hours in our society, which make an adequate work-life balance incompatible since they are designed from the point of view that there is always a person at home taking care of the children. María comments that working hours, for example in the leisure services sector, are indeed very difficult to reconcile. Of course, this social change must occur, and also without forgetting the rural sector, which is also much more complex than in the city. She believes that in management positions in the industrial sector, that you have to travel a lot, for example, it has to be defined and agreed upon within the family.

Women’s fears

Do you think that there are some fears that hold women back in this development of their professional careers?

María believes that we are capable and that it is not necessary to be a super woman, we can achieve everything and also have time for leisure, the important thing is that we all play with the same cards. She believes that we must set a foundation for everything and we must have time for family, for work, leisure, for ourselves, etc. Valle believes that the problem is not that there are fears on the part of women in general, but that it has to do with how human resources are organized in companies, how promotions or career plans are managed. Sometimes in the HR departments themselves they do not offer a promotion to a woman who has been a mother because the position involves traveling and they already make the decision for her and they do not offer it to her, but that is not appropriate, it is the person who must consider it and make that personal decision. A proposal for companies is that whenever there is a promotion that women are given the opportunity to decide, that nothing is taken for granted.

Internal doubts

María comments that in some cases, when some women are offered a promotion, they may have doubts about whether they will be capable, if they will be able, etc. When your bosses offer you an internal promotion, it is because they already trust you, know you and think that you are the right person to promote. If you don’t want to for other reasons, agree, but it is important that the woman trusts herself and her abilities when she is offered that internal promotion. Valle says that sometimes this “imposter syndrome” occurs in women. In other words, it usually happens that a woman is only going to apply for a position if she sees that she meets all the requirements and is qualified, while a man will not generally need to be so sure if she meets the profile if he is interested in the position. It seems that women are much more demanding of themselves in that aspect and sometimes have more complexes and insecurities. Although it seems that this mentality is already part of the past, the new generations are already different. It seems to be related to learned biases. At the level of education in primary school and up to the age of nine, boys and girls see themselves as absolutely capable of everything and see themselves as good at everything. It is from that age that when they have difficulties in mathematics, for example, girls receive the message to focus on other things that will be easier or more suitable for them.

This is a path that men and women are going to travel together, it is a path of common sense and social justice. Valle García de Novales.

Promoting women’s careers

What do you think can be the ways in education that women’s careers and professional development are promoted?

Maria believes that there needs to be totally equal treatment for boys and girls. It is also important that there are references for girls and mirrors in which they can see themselves reflected. That girls can have female role models and that they are occupying positions in which they want to see themselves in the future. Valle believes that textbooks should also be changed, since women do not appear in books or museums. To give an example, in the Prado Museum there are very few paintings on display that have been painted by women. The same happens in textbooks in schools. It seems that women have not created, painted, written or invented anything interesting. This work of sensitization and awareness for girls and boys is very important. A big step is needed in education, it is something that cannot be changed overnight, but it is important to do so, since for a long time women have had to sign with pseudonyms or put their work with the name of their fathers or husbands. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCyg5dHl4ho