'Significant change' | Why THIS is driving applications in female senior leaders

Whilst HR may well have felt overwhelmed with the changes to the workplace as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, key initiatives under its remit such as D&I still require investment. And whilst much has changed within the workforce as a result of the pandemic, recent research has found that women are still massively under-represented within top-ranking positions. 

For example, in the UK, women hold just 30% of all senior leadership roles, with just 23% holding executive titles and 29% holding senior manager titles. What’s more, women hold just four per cent of all CEO roles in S&P 500 FIRMS, according to Nichols research.

And even for those in senior positions, a significant gender wage gap still exists among full-time workers. Women earn just 79% of every pound a man earns, on average. In a McKinsey study of nearly 22,000 publicly traded organisations worldwide, 60% have no female Board members.

Whilst these statistics are shocking, there is some more positive news on the horizon; A new a Government-backed study for Zurich Insurance suggested that women are now 20% more likely to apply for senior roles, largely due to the flexibility that has become a standard due to coronavirus crisis.