Elite Business Magazine Nov 2014 - We need to create a level playing field

By: Lisa Cohen, assistant professor, Desautels Faculty of Management

We can’t lose track of the reality that the solution to inequality is not to fix women but to create a more level playing field. This means gaining a better understanding of the structural causes of inequality and finding ways to dismantle these. In the workplace there are situations that promote equality. For example, I carried out research that showed women are more likely to reach high-level roles within companies if there is already a high proportion of female managers there. The demographic make-up of companies has a lasting influence not only on management but on employees throughout the entire organisation. Composition affects men and women differently. For instance, the likelihood of women leaving an organisation varies depending on the proportion of women in them but there is no parallel effect for men. These differences may seem minor individually but are much more significant when considered alongside the many other differences – in pay, promotion, turnover – related to the relative number of women in an organisation. We need more female managers in order to attract, promote and retain more female managers and employees at all levels but the catch is how do we get them? This is especially tricky for entrepreneurs in the technology sector where we see relatively few women coming up or among the founders and funders. There is no magic pill or simple single solution to issues of inequality. This needs to be attacked on multiple fronts. If something helps above and beyond its costs, then it is worth continuing.

Read full article: Elite Business Magazine, November 2014