According to a piece in Recruitment-International the prospects for women are widening in the finance sector. Whilst things may be tough for graduates entering into the world of finance, at the other end of the scale things are looking up.
Female-Focused at The Top
It has been a goal for a number of years now by big players such as Lloyds to get more women into the boardroom. These such opportunities are looking to be more commonplace as more and more financial firms seek female candidates with a strong financial background to occupy the top spots.
Real Findings
The data revealed:
• Almost two thirds of UK finance directors believe there to be more opportunities for women to move up the ranks in finance and accountancy.
• More than two thirds of existing female finance directors believe there are now better opportunities compared to ten years ago.
Working Practices
Things are fairly level in the working world of finance across both genders – the proportion of females and students working in the industry is around 50%. An interesting finding is that this drops as the years draw on, with men having a longer tenure. This could be due to a career-change or because of motherhood and other commitments.
Other Findings
Other key findings from the research included:
• The number of women in the accountancy profession grew by 2% from 2010 – 2014. This is a small increase but an increase nonetheless!
• 92% of female FD’s think women have a better chance of reaching the board whilst 83% of male FD’s think the same – both sexes are extremely positive.
• Finance directors in the South East and London are the most positive about the scope for women to progress to those coveted board level positions compared to other regions.
It would appear the keenness to get more women in the boardroom is far from abating and instead, is ramping up. It will be interesting to see how the boardroom of tomorrow compares with that of today in the coming months and years.
Castle Hill House