Worldwide progress on removing gender barriers

HR Magazine, May, 1998 by Maureen Minehan

Significant progress will be made in eliminating gender barriers around the world over the next decade, according to a recent issue of Trend Letter, a publication on the forces transforming the economy, business, technology, society and the world. Several recent developments document this trend.

Women in government are occupying more elected and appointed positions than ever before. From Argentina to Kenya, women are holding offices previously occupied by men. In Britain, a record 120 women were voted into the House of Commons in 1997. In the United States, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Attorney General Janet Reno are the first women to be named to those positions.

Globally, more than one-third of businesses are now owned by women. Between 1975 and 1990, U.S. women started businesses at double the rate of men. More important, many of these new ventures are appearing in industries traditionally dominated by men - construction, international trade, manufacturing and agribusiness. In the United States, the greatest growth in the number of minority women-owned firms between 1987 and 1996 was in nontraditional sectors such as construction (319 percent), wholesale trade (276 percent) and transportation/communications/public utilities (255 percent).

Membership in women's networking groups has increased dramatically. One group, the International Women's Forum, selects high-ranking female executives from around the world for leadership training and personal mentoring.

As the world population ages, women's participation in the workforce may determine which countries can meet the pension needs of their senior citizens. In many countries, retirees are beginning to outnumber the available labor force, and additional sources of labor will be necessary to meet social security obligations.

As more women move into positions of power, they will begin to exercise commensurate influence in the workplace. Pay rates between men and women may become more equal. Today, women still make only 64 percent of their male counterparts' wages in Japan, 76 percent in the United States and 81 percent in France.

Problem solving and decision making may also be influenced by a growing female presence. A study by Development Dimensions International's Asia-Pacific office reports that both male and female professionals in Australia, Canada, the United States and New Zealand rated their female bosses higher than male bosses in a recent study. Respondents cited the female bosses' more creative ways of doing things, their greater ability to inspire employees and their willingness to openly address problems.

Flexible work schedules and increased attention to work-life balance may also be a corollary, to more women in positions of authority. In the United States, 54 percent of female-owned firms with 10 or more employees offer flextime or job-sharing arrangements as an employee benefit, compared to 33 percent of male-owned firms.

For more information on these and other emerging issues, please visit the Issues Management Program section of SHRM's home page on the World Wide Web (http://www.shrm.org/issues.html).

Maureen Minehan is issues manager for the Society for Human Resource Management. Her e-mail address is maureen@shrm.org.