Will Women Change the Face of the Corporation?

By Roxanne Batson

Birmingham, AL (Article Emporium) September 14, 2005:
In a recent survey by WomenCorp (http://www.WomenCorp.org), it was discovered that both men and women believed that “lack of flexibility” is a major deterrent to the rise of women within the corporation.

But of those women who have reached top management positions, more actually have children and consider their personal life as important as their career.

So is “lack of flexibility” truly a factor? Or could it be that women are smarter about managing personal and work life?

In a study of executive men and women conducted by Families and Work Institute, Catalyst, and Boston College Center for Work and Family it was discovered that one in four executives reduced their aspirations to reach top management, 34% of women versus 21% of men. The most important reason listed was “the sacrifices I would have to make in my personal or family life.”

Corporate America must develop a way to allow employees more flexibility with balancing the work and personal life equilibrium than in the past, or they may just find they’ve lost their talented managers.

The startling truth is that those baby boomers at the top end of the range have just begun to tip toward retirement. Corporations will lose their management talent whether they like it or not, so there must be incentives for talent to stay.

The Leaders Of A Global Economy project reported that by the “time they have reached these top levels, an equal number of men and women executives -- 44 percent -- plan to leave their jobs in five years or less -- a large turnover in executive talent. Almost three in ten -- 29% -- plan to leave in five years or less but not retire, women more so than men, perhaps because women executives are younger on average than men.”

So, will this trend mean that more corporations will begin to have to open their doors to women in top management? We think so. There appears to be no choice.

This is good news for women, but now the question is: How Will The Corporations Keep Them?

It makes sense to start including women in these discussions with top management, because they may lead the way in the development of the new flexible corporation.

It will be interesting to see the resulting new age corporation, after women not only begin to have more input, but also more power. Stay tuned.


CONTACT INFORMATION:
Brian Kirk
(205) 835-8167
http://www.WomenCorp.org



About the author:
Roxanne Batson is a partner and founder of WomenCorp.



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