A lively discussion at my local business group, Missoula Businesswomen’s Network, prompted me to wonder if business women are asking the wrong question.
The conversation centered around the backwards movement of women in higher positions such as CEOs and Board of Directors members over the past few years. (Only 12 Fortune 500 companies have business women CEOs.) This is in spite of the fact that more than 50% of the workforce is female as of 2010.
More Magazine recently ran a survey that indicated that business women are less interested in their boss’ jobs than they used to be. The primary reason is that they perceive that job to be less flexible. They would have less control over their time, especially time for themselves. A CEO, they feel, has no life.
Yet, a “study by Catalyst, a national women’s advocacy organization, found that Fortune 500 companies with the most gender diversity in their top business ranks had a 35 percent higher return on equity than companies with the least gender diversity at the top.”
Is the right question “Why don’t more business women want to become CEOs?” Or is the right question “How do we change the CEO’s job so it makes more sense for both business women and men?”
I’d love to know your thoughts — please comment below.
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