Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Equality, diversity and inclusionYardstick Update

Recession threatens equality timebomb for female leadership pipeline

by Nadia Williams 18 May 2009
by Nadia Williams 18 May 2009

The recession could irreparably damage the pipeline of female leadership in the UK, according to recent research by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

The survey of more than 1,000 City professionals (91% of whom were female), which examined their initial impressions of the impact of the recession on women’s roles and careers, found that 73% believed redundancy would be an opportunity for those looking to leave the corporate world to make a new start. And 45% believed it would trigger a shift away from corporate careers towards smaller businesses and social enterprises instead.

The respondents â€“ from the UK, Europe, North America and Australasia â€“ were mainly from the banking, finance and professional services sectors.

Sarah Churchman, director of diversity at PwC, said: “The by-product of the recession could be to stall or reverse the sector’s gender diversity progress and investment, short-changing the UK economy’s recovery by removing or alienating a generation of female talent.

“Securing and maintaining the recruitment, retention and development of women in mid-management roles now is the only way a pipeline of women in senior executive roles can be maintained in the recovery.”

Sixty per cent of the respondents believed the recession would only serve to reinforce the glass ceiling for women in the workplace, while 50% believed cutbacks on learning and development budgets would hinder their prospects of progression in the long run. And one in three (36%) believed that women’s role as primary carer will have changed by the end of the recession, with 40% agreeing that it would lead to women becoming the main earners at home.

When asked to make one prediction about the world of work in three years’ time, 30% cited a return to presenteeism and a long-hours working culture as people sought to secure their jobs. Another 12% believed that corporate expectations of working hours would have changed. And 10% believed that uncertainty about financial and work issues will lead people to delay having a family.

Forty per cent of the respondents were uncertain about their job security and employment prospects in general over the next 12 to 18 months.

Avatar
Nadia Williams

previous post
Long-term sickness absence up as workers wait for appointments
next post
One third of pay deals 3% or more but 20% of workers face a freeze

You may also like

Meet Andrew, the chief executive – according to...

29 Sep 2023

Women at FTSE 100 firms won’t gain equality...

28 Sep 2023

Labour pledges small business menopause guidance

27 Sep 2023

Finance regulator consults on tougher conduct rules

25 Sep 2023

One in four over 50s working part-time

25 Sep 2023

Coalition of firms sets out to boost diversity...

21 Sep 2023

Gender pay gap could take 63 years to...

13 Sep 2023

Interview dress codes: Black candidates fear discrimination

5 Sep 2023

Police forces ‘more likely to select white applicants’

31 Aug 2023

Probation worker receives settlement after monkey chants

24 Aug 2023

  • Almost a fifth of UK workers feel undervalued – we need to solve this PROMOTED | A new report has found...Read more
  • Discover the value of CIPD accreditation PROMOTED | See how the CIPD can increase your earning potential...Read more
  • What does it mean to be an HR professional in 2024? (survey) PROMOTED | The world of HR is changing rapidly...Read more
  • The Contractor Management Mastery Pack: Everything you need to manage and pay global contractors PROMOTED | Answers to cross-border...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2023

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2023 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+