One of the things that I get on “my soapbox” about is the disproportionate representation of women in the boardroom, and it was made even clearer to me this week just how deep-seated this problem is. My daughter put in her application to be formally considered for School or Vice-Captain. This was followed by two speeches of up to 90 seconds – first on a leader she admires and the second on why she would be a good school leader. She is 11 by the way!
What shocked and saddened me was, of her 35 classmates there were 7 boys and 11 girls vying for the positions. So it made me wonder – what happens to these incredible women when it comes to senior roles and Board positions in 20 or 30 years time? Why do we struggle and talk about quotas when, at 11 years old, 30% of the girls in the class aspired to be a leader? What are we doing wrong?
We must ensure that the ambition and courage we see in our young girls are nurtured and supported throughout their careers, so our future boardrooms finally reflect the talent pipeline that has always been there. It is a stark reminder that as business leaders, we need to actively dismantle the barriers that cause this drop-off and champion our female talent all the way to the boardroom.
(Note: This article was originally published on the HerBusiness blog)