For women in leadership, diversity means more than just gender

Recent statistics about women in business suggest that much progress has been made with regards to addressing gender discrimination in corporate leadership.

For instance, in the UK, 42 percent of board positions in the FTSE 350 were held by women in 2024, up from 24.5 percent in 2017, according to the government-backed FTSE Women Leaders’ Review.

Gender pay gaps are at record lows, and in 2022 the UK Financial Conduct Authority set a target for all British listed companies to have 40 percent of their board positions held by women. That same year the percentage of FTSE 100 board positions held by women was already at 39.1 percent.

However, while female representation at board level has increased, the same rate of improvement hasn’t been seen for CEO positions. Indeed, in 2024 only ten CEO positions were held by women in the FTSE 100. This suggests that, in the UK at least, women are still facing challenges in accessing the highest levels of business leadership.

It’s also important to recognise that equality at leadership level, and indeed across the entire workforce, should extend beyond gender alone.

“While recent data shows that progress has been made, it often only provides a partial view of the challenges women face in the corporate world,” said Catherine Osaigbovo, Partner at Page Executive. “For example, statistics often do not account for intersectionality, which is essential to understand when looking at the complexities of discrimination in the workplace.”

Intersectionality was coined as a term in 1989 by the US professor Kimberlé Crenshaw and has returned to the fore of public discourse in recent years. It is based on the recognition that various elements of a person’s identity intersect, such as race, gender, economic background, age, sexuality, and disability, leading to complexities that can’t be addressed simply by focusing on each factor individually.

Consider a law firm looking to improve diversity amongst its associates. The company may focus primarily on gender as its measure of diversity, so ethnically diverse women could face intersecting barriers. For instance, they may have the necessary skills and qualifications but could potentially face race-based discrimination that white female candidates would not face.

Similarly, by focusing on gender split, this firm may be overlooking economic background as a discriminatory intersecting factor. For example, inequalities in recruitment could emerge from stipulations that applicants must have internship experience to be considered for entry-level roles. While internships can be valuable, they are often held by candidates from higher socio-economic backgrounds who have had access to opportunities unavailable to less-privileged candidates.  

These kinds of situations can encourage a cycle where opportunities for career advancement are disproportionately available to those who already hold advantages, reinforcing existing disparities. 
 

Changing the intersection narrative

Data about the gender of employees can help companies address balance and potential discrimination, but firms should ensure that other identity factors are represented in the data analysis, and that intersectionality is therefore considered, rather than simply each factor separately.

There are further strategies companies can consider, to address gender and intersectional diversity, including:

• Diverse hiring practices: These should focus not only on gender, but other dimensions of diversity. They should, according to Catherine, also “have a person who understands intersection at the centre of the process”. Inclusive job descriptions and adverts, diverse interview panels, inclusive recruitment training for all hiring managers, and actively recruiting from underrepresented groups can help.
   
• Inclusive workplace policies: These can include flexible work arrangements and parental leave policies, menopause leave & training, anti-discrimination policies, mental health issue training, and logistical solutions such as accessible buildings. “We should look to create an environment where everyone feels they can be themselves”, adds Catherine.
   
• Mentorship and sponsorship: These can pair employees from underrepresented groups with senior leaders who can provide guidance, support, and advocacy for their career advancement. Catherine Osaigbovo: “Mentorship could be a manager helping someone with their confidence and how to navigate a role, whereas sponsorship can involve a more senior ally. It will often be a senior leader towards the top of the organisation who can advocate and open doors, tangibly helping them in their career.”
   
• Training and education: Employees can be trained in topics such as unconscious bias, cultural competence and inclusive leadership. “It’s important to get leadership buy-in and training such as this should include senior leaders”, said Catherine. “Measures like these can really help understand the intricacies of intersectionality.”
   
• Employee resource groups (ERGs): These can provide support, networking opportunities, and a platform for advocacy for various identity groups and allies within a company.
   
• Pay equity: Conducting regular audits to identify and address any gender and intersectional pay gaps within the organisation can help ensure that all employees are fairly compensated for their work, regardless of their identity factors.

"It can be difficult, because when people are just looking at the data they break people down into single characteristics,” said Catherine. “But if companies take the time to understand intersectionality beyond the basic statistics, there’s so much that can be done to make workplaces and hiring genuinely more equitable."

If you need help diversifying your workforce or want to learn more about understanding diversity and intersectionality in the context of your business, reach out to Page Executive.