Why we need more women in recruitment

From business to politics, more leaders are beginning to wake up to the importance of diversifying their workforces in order to increase the sharing of different ideas, qualities and skills within a collective, as well as promote gender equality in the workplace. But where does recruitment rank in terms of equal opportunities for women in the industry?

More needs to be done to promote gender equality

According to an article in Saffery there is still a long way to go in promoting gender equality within the recruitment sector: “The most noticeable improvement is in the number of female recruiters and other staff, which has risen from 41% three years ago to 47% in 2022. While the average number of women on leadership teams rose slightly between 2019 and 2022 to 37%, almost half (46%) of firms have less than 30% female representation on their leadership teams and 18% have no female representation at all.”

A Leadership Quarterly study, "Gender and Evaluations of Leadership Behaviours" shows that women consistently get higher scores on most effective leadership traits, which only reinforces the biases women face in the recruitment specialism. Clearly, something needs to change.

Challenges women face

• There is a lack of female role models

Data from The Pipeline found that just 32% of C-suite positions are held by women and only 9% of CEO roles within FTSE 350 companies are held by women. Women are being hampered by not having their career paths mapped out for them in the same way that they are for men.

• The sector still retains an ‘old boys club’ culture

Men are 21% more likely to be promoted to leadership positions than women. Whilst lots of companies have done away with the ‘old boys club’ ethos, the knock on effects are still being felt by women.

• Family commitments are a key concern

Women often report that taking a career break to raise their children makes it difficult for them when they return to the workplace, with a lack of support on offer by their employers at a level they need to resume what is a high pressured and competitive environment within the recruitment sector.

The way forward

The world is changing and many businesses are recognising the benefits of drawing talent from a much wider pool. However, there is still more that recruitment firms need to do in terms of reforming their culture and creating a more inclusive and equal workforce.

Three steps recruitment leaders should take to move forward are:

1. Appoint more female role models

Research has shown that women are more inspired by same sex role models succeeding in business, and this is certainly true in recruitment. With more female employees, there should be more women getting promoted, leading to more and more role models for new.

2. Improve performance guidance and feedback

Whether it be praise or developmental feedback, women are more likely to receive an emotive style of feedback unrelated to results in comparison to men. In fact, according to a study by Textio, 78% of women have been described as "emotional" in performance reviews.

For this reason, people who give performance reviews must possess the ability to communicate the areas in which a recipient excels whilst noting which skills must be improved. Women must be given more targeted and specific actions to achieve, as this will give them a clear pathway on how they can progress their careers.

3. Engage, support and advance

Steps should also be taken to include women in company conversations – communication is key, and ‘old boys clubs’ are such an archaic concept that it’s unsurprising so many industry professionals are finding them problematic. Family commitments will undoubtedly be the most difficult issue to tackle. However, employers should emphasise that the company is always there to listen to any worries they may have if employers have the capacity to utilise flexible working opportunities, they should seriously consider it.

The benefits of a diverse workforce 

Research regularly shows that diverse companies outperform their less diverse counterparts. This is yet another reason organisations should look to prioritise diversity, if for no other reason than to avoid shooting themselves in the foot and missing out on potential income and revenue.

We want you on our team

Are you an experienced recruiter looking for your next role within the industry? Search is a nationwide recruitment agency that offers a wide range of jobs from a variety of specialist industry sectors. If you feel you would be an ideal addition to our team, please do not hesitate to contact our internal recruitment team on internalrecruitment@search.co.uk.