The Future50 is a cause for celebration. East Anglia is a hot bed of talent and entrepreneurism - but come on ladies where were you ??
The EDP’s Future50 is a splendid collection of local entrepreneurs, all of whom, apart from Claire Martinsen and Kate Gaskin, are male. Why?
Given that there are more women than men in the UK and 70% work for a living, the disproportionate representation is difficult to reconcile. I know, as I am sure you do, that there are plenty of inspirational women working hard and very successfully in our region. So why are they not in the listing?
One answer may be that there persists an intrinsic complacency in the UK which suggests that the battle for equality has already been won. Nearly three-quarters of a representative sample of women surveyed for recent research stated that they agreed with the statement: `Women today have as much chance of succeeding in the workplace as men'.
Phooey I afraid. The facts tell a different story. According to the Government's Equalities Office, women remain the largest under-represented group in the UK in terms of participation in enterprise.
Many women also encounter particular barriers in accessing business support focused on their needs, supportive business networks and access to business mentors. Women are also less likely than men to believe they have the confidence and skills to start a business.
True, there are more women in positions of power and authority than there were 30 years ago, but only 11.7% of FTSE 100 directorships are held by women. Yet girls continue to out perform boys throughout their schooling and although there are fewer female undergraduates in some of the more traditional 'male' subjects of science, engineering and technology; the women who study these subjects often come out on top too.
So why do women; at least as well educated and qualified, become invisible when they leave education?
To find out where the answer lies, I did a little survey of my own - these were some of the comments:-
"Women make lifestyle choices and set up business that work’s around the demands of their families".
"Women don’t tend to go into manufacturing and make big sellable companies that hit the headlines."
“I find it difficult to know where to go for independent financial help”
"Women feature highly in the service industries and their success is not seen."
“We just aren't very good at chest beating”
This leads me to my next question - does it matter that we do not feature highly in the league tables? Well yes and no.
Yes it does matter if your success is not properly recognised. Most working women I know go about their daily lives at work and at home with remarkable fortitude and good humour; but their achievements often pass without acknowledgement.
And of course no; it doesn’t matter in the great scheme of things - as my mother used to say, “No one died..”
So where does that leave us? Nominations are now being taken for the 2010 Future50. The absence of females the ratings for 2009 has raised a few eyebrows - not only mine - so please if you would like to nominate a woman whose business acumen you admire - they can be from any background or industry; please email, future50entries@archant.co.uk. The judges are looking for entrepreneurs - they don’t need to be heading up multinationals - but perhaps, like the first black president, Barack Obama, they would say - “Yes we can”.
