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Women more successful in obtaining senior management roles
MEDIA RELEASE
Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government
Date: 2 March 2010
A review of recruitment data for top level management positions in local government has revealed that women are not applying for senior management roles despite a higher success rate than their male colleagues.
The review was carried out by McArthur, a recruitment and HR specialist with extensive local government experience at the request of Local Government Managers Australia (LGMA) to determine if a relationship exists between the lack of women in senior management and the number of job applications received by women for top roles. It formed part of McArthur’s 2009 National Remuneration Survey of Local Government which reported on salary data relating to remuneration equity and gender balance from a sample base of 141 councils throughout Australia.
According to Matthew McArthur from McArthur, their latest national survey and recruitment review provides valuable pointers towards establishing benchmarks and observing and responding to identified trends.
“There is some evidence to suggest that women who apply for senior roles are more successful than their male colleagues,” Mr. McArthur said. “But they are simply not putting themselves forward in any great numbers.
“Of the 131 senior management recruitment campaigns reviewed across all job families, more than four male applicants applied for a CEO, director or manager position to every one female. Yet, nearly one in three women who were interviewed was successful in securing the role.”
LGMA National President, Neil Hartley said the data goes some way to explain the lack of women in senior management positions, but urges councils to do more to support and encourage women to apply for top jobs.
“With the predicted global economic recovery and impending baby-boomer retirements expected to create another round of intense competition for skilled workers, the local government sector will again face critical skilled shortages across its entire workforce,” Mr. Hartley said.
“Women make up approximately 43% per cent of local government employees. By encouraging women to apply for senior management positions and supporting their capacity to thrive in those roles, we can help alleviate some of the issues created by the skill shortage epidemic.”
Mr. McArthur supported this theory by saying that in order to shore up the sector’s workforce, local government managers should “’brick wall’ their precious people before the recovery is fully underway.
LGMA Chief Executive, John Ravlic also says that women in local government have the capacity to drive cultural change in their organisations by taking up the challenge and putting themselves into contention for executive roles.
According to the review, in the last two years women made up only 11 per cent of applicants for CEO positions, although 12 per cent were successful in securing the role. At the second level only 22 per cent of applicants were women and 27 per cent were successful, and at the third level 23 per cent of applications were received by women with 30 per cent appointed to the role.
“The local government sector has no shortage of skilled, experienced and talented women across its workforce,” Mr Ravlic said. “Given necessary support and the right environment, they are quite capable of smashing through the glass ceiling and becoming an active part of the solution.
“The Year of Women in Local Government encourages councils in Australia to increase the participation of women in senior management roles by providing training and mentoring opportunities, establishing voluntary gender equity targets and encouraging and supporting women to apply for executive positions.
“The true success of this initiative, however lays in the ability of the entire local government workforce, male and female to work together to overcome gender inequity and achieve real and sustained cultural change.”
The results of the review have been published in the latest edition of LGM. To view the recent articles about workforce development as they appear in the Feb/Mar edition of LGM and links to relevant websites, see below:
Growing our workforce, J. Salisbury, McArthur. LGM Feb/Mar 2010, pg.10-11
Who built that glass ceiling. R. Beauchamp. LGM Feb/Mar 2010, pg.12.13
http://lgwomen2010.org.au
http://www.mcarthur.com.au
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For more information contact Helen Diggerson on +61 3 9682 9222 / 0414 376 924 or
John Ravlic on 0411 744 564 or visit lgwomen2010.org.au.
