Women’s Leadership Network gender research
The WLN works hard to undertake and support research into gender factors and career progression. We use our findings to prioritise our activities and to lobby for more support and encouragement for women to aim high. By joining the WLN, you can help us to continue supporting and carrying out research into gender issues.
2010 report on WLN and LSN research findings now available
Our LSIS-funded research findings and recommendations, based on eight regional discussions and 470 on-line respondents’ views, are now available. The research aimed at investigating into why women are under-represented at senior levels, what the barriers and enablers are and what the sector should do. Only 36% of principals are women, so it’s no surprise to learn that barriers persist. Our black and minority ethnic respondents were far more likely than their white counterparts to have encountered barriers.
Main barriers: respondents listed domestic commitments, followed by lack of organisational structures for promotion, lack of mentoring, poor line management and limited opportunities for professional development.
Enablers: the need for flexible working ranked highest, followed by access to professional development and clear organisational structures for promotion. Black and BME women prioritised sound equalities practice, access to professional development and mentoring before flexible working.
Organisational culture: comments about some negative cultures included several
references to old boys’ networks, racist and sexist attitudes, lack of feedback on performance, ineffective appraisals, ineffective equalities practice and long hours cultures. Those who had experienced positive cultures referred to the presence of women in senior management roles, sound equalities practice, good support and professional development.
Strategies that would be most effective: respondents referred to mentoring, support and training,followed by flexibility, information and opportunities, role models and equality practices.
The report includes recommendations for action which will be expanded in the good practice guide due out in the autumn and sponsored by Protocol National. For a four-page summary including our recommendations to the sector, go to The Voices of Women: Leadership and Gender in the FE sector
Climbing the greasy pole to the glass ceiling
Women principals in 2009 36% – this year 36%. About as interesting as a nil nil football result? It’s the result of our annual count of college principals.
In February 2010 we looked closely at the changes over the last year: 305 colleges kept the same principal, 47 colleges appointed new principals while eight colleges merged into another college.
Disappointingly, of the new appointments, 17 out of 47 were women, only slightly above the 36% average. But what concerned us was that seven out of the eight college principals who lost their positions as a result of a merger were women. However, women principals are well represented in the larger colleges and 13 out of the 28 colleges in the 157 Group are run by women.
Ours is a long-term campaign: if each year 47 colleges appoint new principals with an equal gender split and other things stay the same (unlikely in the current climate), then it will take ten years for the proportion of female principals to reach 47%.
We hope that government departments and supporting organisations will join with us in renewing our efforts to ensure that women are better represented at the top click here to download our report.
Past WLN research into gender and career progression
Our 2007 study into women’s career progression is available at:
Gender related factors in career progression March 2007
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