Gill Greer: Wrong to say glass ceiling is 'perceived'

Gill Greer

Of course, Chris Geddis (Talking Point January 2: "Dismantling the perceived glass ceiling") is right when he says that it is the "voting public who decide on who is elected and who is rejected at the poll, regardless of gender."

He's also right when he says that the voters who "choose a woman over a man do so not because the candidate is a female, or a male, but because she has the credentials, acumen, experience and ability to do the job".

He's right too in saying that, "you won't achieve a 50/50 share by gender" – because there are more than two genders.

But he's wrong when he says that the glass ceiling is "perceived". We know that just 17 per cent of NZX companies list women directors and just 34 per cent of our MPs are women. Having a female Prime Minister is great, but gender inequality cannot be solved by individual people with individual achievements – it is a structural, society wide issue that needs structural, society wide solutions.

And the barriers we see facing women and gender diverse people are all too often exacerbated by intersectional issues including race and disability. Any chance of equality for people of all genders, races, and abilities, requires systemic, structural change.

Our Prime Minister is absolutely right to call for stronger female representation in politics. She comments that only 23 per cent of national parliamentarians globally are women.

The Pacific region has the lowest representation of women in governments in the world, and some of the highest rates of violence against women – the two issues are, of course, related and are symptoms of the underlying issue: gender inequality.

Chris Geddis goes on to criticise former Prime Minister Jenny Shipley's call for more women in governance positions in companies and senior management roles. Yet this is well supported – back in 2007 a McKinsey report showed that companies with a higher percentage of women in governance and senior management teams showed stronger shares and growth.

A later report from the University of Leeds, showed that those companies with a higher percentage of women on boards competed favourably with their rivals in terms of returns on capital (66 per cent higher), returns on equity (53 per cent higher) and sales (42 per cent). Businesses with at least one woman on the board reduced the risk of failure by 20 per cent.

Research since then, internationally and in New Zealand, such as the very recent EY report, has provided similar information and the need for urgent change.

New Zealanders' attitudes, norms, and stereotypes are some of the barriers to a diverse, inclusive culture, and Chris Geddis' article is a good example of this. These attitudes and stereotypes drive inequality and mean that many New Zealanders see inequality as "normal".

The good news is that we can challenge these attitudes. Change is essential to creating a gender equal New Zealand – whether in government, business, academia, or households across our country.

This needs to include eliminating gendered violence, eliminating sexual harassment, parental leave not being seen as a career block and ensuring that childbearing is not a barrier for parents of any gender, nor perceived to be, flexible working conditions, pay parity and better understanding of the competencies that create a leader and mentoring and development opportunities.

Only then, can there truly be equal chance, equal voice and choice and equal opportunity.

To deliver on our national and international promises and obligations, New Zealanders need to make sure that women have an equal chance of competing at the ballot box. This requires recognition and nomination by political parties and an equal chance to serve on local government.

All this will also help to overcome what Tony Schwartz described in 2015 as "overcoming the confidence gap" for women (the New York Times June 12, 2015), pointing out that in recent studies women rated better on 12 of 16 critical competencies required for senior leadership. He commented that women underrated their value while men correspondingly overrated theirs. This of course impacts on who chooses to apply.

Our public sector has shown that a more balanced ratio in leadership IS achievable. It's time for us all to understand that empowerment of women and gender diverse people does not mean disempowerment of men.

Let's see all genders supported, encouraged and fairly represented in leadership. Let's stop looking the other way and tackle the ways deeply entrenched and widely-held social attitudes are driving growing inequalities in our communities.

Let's make sure that all New Zealanders have the freedom to determine their own future – free of gender stereotypes and constraints.

Let's finish the job that Kate Sheppard started.

Gill Greer is the chief executive of the National Council of Women, leading organisation of Gender Equal NZ. Views express here are those of the writer's and not Hawke's Bay Today.