As reviewed in a recent study in The Shriver Report titled, “A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink,” many women are denied access to power in the workplace and in addition to undermining the role of women in society, this impedes environmental advocacy. By decreasing barriers to women in the workplace we can move forward on a host of sustainability issues.
The Shriver Report points out that women are under-represented in positions of power, and over-represented in the ranks of low wage earners. Women still take home between 9 and 30 percent less than men for similar jobs and they are less frequently promoted to leadership positions. The irony here is that promoting women into leadership positions has been shown to be in the best interest of employers and shareholders. The research shows that when women lead, not only do businesses perform they are also more sustainable.
On all measurable indices, companies with the highest percentages of women board directors significantly outperformed those with the least. Despite these findings, as of 2013, women held only 16.9 percent of corporate board seats, only 14.6 percent of Executive Officer positions, and only 8.1 percent of top earner slots.
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