Despite a higher level of awareness about gender equity, women today still are battling challenges to stay in the workforce and let down by boardroom inertia — a reality that may be particularly stark in Asia, where underlying cultural and societal expectations remain.
There arguably has not been a higher level of awareness about gender issues than there has been in recent years, but women particularly those in the technology sector continue to battle challenges to stay in the workforce. In Asia, underlying cultural and societal expectations may prove to be tougher barriers to overcome, however, there still is plenty of room for businesses to step in and help put things on the right path. I grew up in an environment where I saw daughters valued less than sons and told simply it was how things were generations before them. That women are perceived as such is not uncommon in Asia where sex-selective abortions in countries such as India and China have led to an imbalance in their gender ratio, leaning towards male. Taught that it is how things are, and little is done to enact change, I’ve seen how easy it is to lose your self-worth and second-guess every decision you make. It motivated me to dedicate time, when I began my career as a journalist some 20 years ago, covering women executives and highlighting challenges they faced, and how they resolved these as they pushed their career forward. At some point, the women I interviewed would often highlight their desire to not have the spotlight on their career as a female executive, but simply as a professional who climbed the ranks regardless of their gender. So I pulled back my focus, other than the occasional coverage here and there. In 2006, I wrote about how women–whether they wanted to admit it or not–were still treated differently from their male counterparts. I cited how former Hewlett-Packard Chairman and CEO Carly Fiorina, who was ousted in 2005, wrote in her book that “business is not yet gender-blind”. Fiorina said women were ” talked about differently than men ” and that it was fact that “we shouldn’t run away from [because] it’s simply true”. It is then terribly disappointing that,15 years on, it appears little has changed. LinkedIn’s latest Opportunity Index revealed that one third of women in Asia-Pacific believed their gender had been a barrier to opportunities due to a lack of guidance, skills, and time they faced as women. Some 41% felt they received fewer opportunities to further their career compared to their male counterparts. This figure was higher in some markets including Singapore at 49%, Malaysia at 45%, and China at 44%. And while last year saw the highest number of female CEOs amongst Fortune 500 companies at 37, they accounted for just 7.
