Just last year, the chairman for Tesco joked that white men are becoming an ‘endangered species’ in United Kingdom Boardrooms. Evidence in support of this statement is pretty much non-existent; there are currently more males named Steve or David in FTSE 100 Companies than there are women or ethnic minorities.
So where did this “humorous” statement stem from? Female appointments to listed companies are admittedly on the rise, with 29% of FTSE 100 Board positions now being filled by women. This is pretty impressive considering the mere 12.5% in 2010 and the embarrassing 9% in 2004. But realistically is 29% representative of 51% of the population in the UK? Probably not.
So what is preventing females from climbing the corporate ladder? Typical answers include maternal implications and the fragile view that femininity is victim to when considering its suitability to a board position. But there is one underlying obstacle in progression: networking. Fiona Hathorn, the managing director of Women on Boards, recently reminisced about her time working in London and the nature of networking events which she saw as important for progression. These included a routine trip to a gentleman’s club in Asia and a client meeting at a males-only golf club. How inclusive.
These events are common in the corporate sphere. In January 2018, a charity gala for the men’s-only Presidents Club was accused of harassment in relation to their hired hostesses. Presumably, this event pulled many powerful men together, and networking was inevitable. Given that many board appointments are made as a result of informal meetings and networking, it’s understandable why males are in such a favourable position, and after this scandal why females would be wary to attend events such as these.
To eliminate this, Fiona Hathorn suggests that networking events are scrutinised on the basis of their guest lists, venue, and activities. Of course, this is not the case for all companies and this article is in no way assuming that it is a precondition for all board appointments. However, the fact this obstacle even exists speaks volumes as it demonstrates how deeply embedded masculinity is in corporate governance.
Gender equality is up and coming in the corporate world as female appointments rise. However, minor elements such as networking remain to cause major obstacles for females in their progressions. With this in mind, one thing is for certain: the term “endangered species” is a bit of a stretch.
Photo from https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/amur-leopard