February 12 2018 0comment

Business women, a century towards equality  

For somebusinessmenwomen are betterCEOsand for others the world stands a centuries of equality 

Taking advantage of that today is the international day of the woman I would like to share a phrase I read recently in an interview with Kevin O’Leary, successful entrepreneur and American investor who claimed that “women are better “ CEOs. On equal terms, given the possibility of choosing between a woman and a man, would choose the woman’ 

And the truth is that for years it has decided, based on pragmatic financial data, invest in companies where the women were in charge. And today about 60 percent of the companies in his portfolio are headed by women.  

But what is the reality when we look at international statistics? 

A recent study shows that major companies in Asia, Europe and the United States have advanced little beyond mere tokenism when it comes to placing women in positions of leadership. The men take up 83% of the positions of the Executive Committee within the major United States companies, 89% within European companies, and gender balance was even worse in Asia and Middle East, where men occupy 96% of high jobs rank. In these three regions combined, women make up only 11% of the 3,000 jobs of the Executive Committee of the 300 companies surveyed (100 largest companies in each region).  

And what is the situation at the national level? 

19.83% of the members of the organs of the companies of the Ibex 35 are women. It is true that they are a 13.75% more than a year ago but still we are halfway to the 40% that dictate the European standards of good governance.  

While in countries like Sweden, 35.6% of the senior managers are women and 10 percent are Executive Councillors, in Spain parity experts complain that “the presence of Executive Councillors (3.3% of the total) denotes the need for change cultural enterprises to promote the advancement of women in all management positions”.  

And before these figures that bring us back to reality, my question is what do investors and businessmen such as Kevin O’Leary and RichardBranson see in executive women? and what do their reliable financial analysis reflect? 

“I’ve invested in 20 different companies in the sector of new technologies and I’ve made more money with executives women. It’s that simple “, said the American businessman.  

Explains that it has been observed that women take fewer risks, which are more oriented to objectives and compliance.And those results have led him to assert that “when I’m facing two similar opportunities and the CEO is a woman, I opt for them, because it is the path of least resistance. And I’m not looking at it from a social or moral point of view, I’m looking from a point of view of returning of my investment.”   

But do not we link the fact take less risk with a trait that is weak in the world of business? Apparently statistics give reason to its analysis. A report of Credit Suisse, in which even Richard Branson has relied on several occasions, said that women in leadership roles provide better returns to the companies, on the basis that they are more analytical and less risky and volatile.The report cites that the companies that are traded on stock markets and more than one woman on their boards of management have surpassed in profitability that had feminine presence and reveals that companies dominated by men were being recovered more slowly from the financial crisis in 2008 than those with a more balanced relationship of genres.   

Imposition or acceptance? 

There are those who consider that the requirement and sanction proposals (“listed companies in Europe be required to reserve at least 40 per cent of positions to women by 2020 or face fines and other sanctions”) as the European Commission is developing are not the right track front who claim until equality and parity normalize should require them, as when are imposed on human rights.  

Society should recognize the fact that there are different leadership capacities in women who are equally beneficial in social, economic and political areas than the male. Nelson noted that “collaboration, conviction, inclusion, creativity and mentoring” as unique keys of women leaders. And wealth is diversity and difference. And I hope that women who want to increase their positions in the leadership do not take seriously studies such as the one published by Stanford that appointment that the key is to know turn on the “male switch” within every woman.  

The key would therefore find that magical equation with which everyone is in balance and value the diversity of capabilities and benefits of both genders without falling into the error of believing that the only implied advantage of reaching a goal of equality is simply we reach a goal of equality.  

But it seems that at this rate, soon will be discovered the mysteries of the universe to the mysteries of parity. Because although countries such as Iceland, Sweden and Denmark are each time closer to fully close the disparity gap and businessmeninternational claim “is a big disadvantage not lead women to the posts of management, not for the sake of equality and diversity, but for the sake of the business”, studies say that men and women will not be equal through the year 2095. 

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