In March, many companies celebrated International Women’s Day, prompting reflection on the significant contributions of female staff. Women positively impact workforce productivity, creativity, and overall success.

During March 2022, businesses highlighted their appreciation for women on social media, thanking employees from junior roles to senior executives for their valuable work.  In fact, the global average for women in senior management is currently at an all-time high of 32%.

There is no question that women bring a lot to the table, but is the current trend enough, or do we still need to do more to include, equalise and promote women to the top positions? This is still a hot topic for many, and the sticking point seems that the 32% global average varies significantly depending on the industry you look at.

Modern Society

At first glance, many assume workplace equality exists. However, recent pandemic research reveals fewer job opportunities across most industries. As a result, women have accepted lower pay rates due to intense market competition.

Unlike men, women hold the majority of lower-skilled jobs, around two-thirds, which leads to lower wages and fewer promotion opportunities.

Forbes recently documented that women earn 82 cents for every dollar men make. This 18% difference is “the raw gender pay gap.” However, the report showed something interesting when looking at other factors, including the industry, the education and experience of the woman, and their location.  The gender wage gap shrinks to a 2% difference, equivalent to women making 98 cents for every dollar men make. Although this doesn’t sound too bad at first glance, this amount compounded over time means that women are significantly shortchanged for the same role as male earners, even in the modern ‘woke’ society we believe we are a part of.

Issues in the Workplace

Women face numerous challenges throughout their careers, including pausing to have children, an issue many men don’t encounter. While laws exist to prevent pay inequality and protect a woman’s job during maternity leave, workplace equality remains complex.

Unconscious bias is one of these challenges, making it difficult to control. For example, an interviewer may unconsciously favour a male candidate over a woman of childbearing age, seeing him as a “safer” option. Though this bias may go unspoken, it creates a problematic situation that women can’t easily influence.

With that in mind, I want to celebrate the women who have advanced gender diversity in underrepresented industries.

For the South African Fintech Firm Wonga, Sulungeka Faltein

Sulungeka is a software engineer at Wonga, an online fintech company. This sector is heavily male-dominated, especially in back-end software engineering. She had to break down barriers to get where she is, which is a leadership role supporting a team of developers and software engineers. She focuses on adapting features to provide the very best customer experience.

In order to be successful, she had to work harder to prove herself and challenge latent preconceptions that many of us aren’t even aware we have. This included proving she had the knowledge and capability to execute the job’s responsibilities. Sulungeka says she had to hold on to the belief that ‘there is no glass ceiling!’

For SOHO China, Zhang Xin

Zhang Xin co-founded SOHO China, a real estate development firm in China. She has fought to become at the top of her game. She started as a factory worker and then graduated from Cambridge University with a master’s degree in economic development. Now, she is known as “the woman who built Beijing.”

For Nasty Gal, Sophia Amoruso

Sophia started her business, Nasty Gal, on eBay in 2006, but it is now a thriving company generating profits in the millions of dollars. “Don’t give up, don’t take anything personally, and don’t take no for an answer,” Sophia advises in a male-dominated world.

Celebrating events like International Women’s Day was a positive step that can help propel successful women into the spotlight. It alters the ingrained narrative that has developed over time in our society to show women as an equal force to be respected in the workplace. Women contribute, empathise, create, and bring specific skills and qualities to companies that some men do not, and this should be remembered and celebrated. Diversity is key to successful growth.