Men say yes and women say no
That is the general truth when it comes to taking a public role; like being elected for office, accepting a leading role in business, own a business or to saying yes to being interviewed by a journalist or a media outlet.
We see the same tendency for being in politics, taking on a role as a board member og even accepting a role in leadership. Women say no and men say yes.
When it comes to owning shares and stocks the numbers are similar, 70 percent of all businesses are owned by men. Female leadership on CEO-level is less than 20 percent. The same goes for board seats in joint stock companies. Female business founders hardly get any investors/money at all.
Among the 200 biggest companies in Norway, only 14 percent of CEOs (Chief Executive Officer) are women, and only 25 percent of top management are women.
Can this be correct, you might ask yourself? Yes, it is. Statistics do not lie.
Research show that five out five men will say yes to be interviewed by media, while only five of fifteen women say yes.
In sum, this becomes a very unbalanced society in our public eye, even if we have great female role models and inspiring women around us, the balance is just not there.
Take any newspaper and count faces, I assure you, you will find more men than women.
Even in politics, this is an issue, more men than women say yes to being elected for local, regional, and national offices.
That means lack of female voices and point of view. But it also leads to female exhaustion, because women who actually are elected need to work much more than men.
By law, all political committees in Norway must have female representation. Then, the few women who are elected must represent the female sex in several committees, while men can share the work.
There are many initiatives to change this, and some of them try to push women to take up the space, to raise their voice and to just do it. Women must understand the responsibility they have and to claim their rightful room in the public.
I do wish this could be the solution, but it is so wrong to lay this responsibility on women's shoulders. Even incentives like quotas and regulations do not change the balance sufficiently.
At the same time, many businesses are working to understand how they can help women succeed and not fall behind in their careers.
I am always puzzled by this, what does it take to make a lasting change for a true and solid and equal balance with women in all parts of society? When will it happen? Because all around me I do not see the change I am looking for. Why are men saying yes and women saying no?
According to a recent study from CORE, we are getting closer to an answer that can have a hint of a sustainable change.
Women are not interested in a life where they must work all day and half the night. They need companies and partners who accept that it is supposed to be a shared responsibility to take care of children and home. Can we regulate that? I think yes. Much more than we do now.
Women need to see that the hidden structures that define the “rules” for behavior, opinions, point of view are no longer accepted. We must change the outdated system set by old patriarchal systems, like Kristine Kotte-Eriksen, Head of Customer Success in Equality Ceck so eloquently pointed out when the new head for the Norwegian Central Bank was appointed.
Women must see and believe that their company, their leader, their work structure respects them. Women are done with rules and systems defined by men, they do not longer want to play that game.
So, if you really want diversity in the media, in politics, in business – accept and understand that the rules and structures are outdated and be willing to change it.
A few companies have done it, they have decided to have a top management group that is truly diverse, and surprise – it was not so hard! Women said yes. Because the set up was interesting and valuable for them to thrive in.
You know, it is possible, any business can do it if they want to. I promise, it will be a better day for all sexes.
Sources:
Kjønnsbalanse: - Kneblede kvinner (dagbladet.no)
https://forskning.no/likestilling-media/kvinner-er-mye-mindre-i-nyhetene-enn-menn/1914034