Women helping men to see work from another viewpoint

Senior male workers at the computer company Dell are being mentored by female colleagues in a pioneering move aimed at highlighting the problems women face in the workplace and helping them get into the top jobs.

Women in middle management roles have been mentoring some of the company's most senior men to give them an insight into female perceptions of the world of work and the daily challenges women face, such as childcare arrangements.

"Women get to a certain point in their careers when they have to juggle both home and work life and there's a lot of extra pressure on them," said a Dell official.

Ingrid Devin, Dell's diversity manager for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, said: "The feedback from the men was great. They realised that they have a lot to learn about the challenges that women face in the workplace, especially learning how to do the 'right thing'."

The mentoring scheme is part of a wider project by Dell designed to get more women into the top positions in the IT sector.

The lack of women in top jobs in the City - London's financial district - is set to come under the spotlight as the House of Commons Treasury select committee begins evidence sessions for its inquiry Women in the City.

The Guardian newspaper's annual survey of boardroom pay found that only one in 15 boardroom seats in the FTSE 100 are occupied by women, who mostly hold part-time roles as non-executive directors. Only 22 women are involved in the day-to-day running of companies out of hundreds of men.

The select committee inquiry, which is most likely to focus on sexism and pay inequalities faced by women in financial firms, raised a few eyebrows on its announcement in July as there is only one woman out of its 14 members.

Dell's scheme is not the only initiative to help women break through the "glass ceiling".

Women for Boards, launched last month, aims to increase the number of women on the boards of FTSE 350 companies. It pairs up potential candidates with high-profile female mentors such as the former newsreader Anna Ford.

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