Women increasingly taking on leadership roles
26 August 2009
Read by 2827 persons
They are present in management positions in communication, HR, marketing and finance.
Moroccan women are better off than their German counterparts. They are increasingly accessing positions of responsibility, especially middle management, while in Germany they represent barely 3% of top management, which remains minimal.
In Morocco, there is increasing talk of women in management, especially in the communication, human resources, marketing and even finance sectors. In addition, there are more and more women managers in services. To understand Moroccans' perception of this type of management, a survey was carried out by Invest RH in partnership with the monthly magazine Essor and Amal Job, with a sample of 1,140 people, 67% of whom were women and 73% were employees. According to those surveyed, 75.3% say that women hold management positions in their company. This shows the progress made in the level of occupancy of these positions and the increasing number of female graduates entering the job market.
According to the survey, the presence of women is confirmed in decision-making spheres, declared by 68% of the sample.
As for the position of general manager, women are beginning to make inroads. According to the published results, 12% of the companies approached are managed by women, mainly in the national private sector. This is mainly due to the rise of a new generation of women entrepreneurs, while discrimination still exists in multinationals, with only 7% of these groups having women at the head of decision-making positions. "When they are employees, the glass ceiling does exist, limiting their advancement to general management positions," the study specifies.
If the number of women in the companies surveyed is on average between 25% and 50%, the percentage of women in management only varies between 10% and 25%, which confirms the levels of positions held by women at intermediate and executive levels. One thing is certain: women are perceived as demanding, which sometimes creates internal disputes, especially from men who do not want to admit that women can manage effectively. The survey also shows that women themselves can have discriminatory behavior towards male colleagues. Therefore, an effort must be made at all levels for better management. "The organization should be based on the position, its skills needs, and not on the person who holds it," specifies Khadija Boughaba.
In light of the results of your survey, what would you say about the position of women in Moroccan companies?
The observation we can draw from the survey is that there is currently a dynamic in Morocco whereby women are increasingly present in decision-making processes. 74% of respondents say that women hold management positions, and 68% say that women sit on management committees. However, their representation remains low. According to those surveyed, they represent less than 25% of management positions, while they represent slightly less than the total number of employees. That is why we still cannot say that today, women actively participate in company decision-making, but that they are playing an increasingly important role in middle management.
How are our women managers perceived and what are their strengths in their management?
The perception is obviously not the same depending on whether the respondent is a man or a woman. For men, women are mainly guided by their emotions when making decisions. Women, on the other hand, perceive the decisions of their female managers as being above all well thought out. But everyone agrees that decisions made by women seem honest to them. Moreover, they are also considered organized and responsible in their duties, but where men judge their female superiors to be demanding, women retain above all their dynamism. When we look at the professions that are becoming increasingly feminized - those related to communication, marketing and human resources - we can deduce that the strength of women in their management is that they have a greater propensity to unite. Moreover, they are also increasingly present in finance-related professions, perhaps because they are perceived as meticulous and demanding?
What are the constraints faced by women?
The origin of the discrimination that women may experience during their careers is society's perception of women, which does not grant them a de facto decision-making role. That is to say, they are not predestined to lead or decide in the economic field. This is an "indirect" constraint, because it conditions the behavior of women who will not spontaneously set themselves the ambition of accessing key positions. This will often be perceived as a sign of emancipation, but also of sacrifice. Family life and its unavailability are obviously the main obstacles to a woman's career, since her legitimacy is perceived in managing the home and raising children. Also stemming from this perception, inequality in the level of education is naturally a contributing factor to the under-representation of women in decision-making spheres.
How can we overcome the reluctance of male colleagues?
To overcome the discrimination that women face at work, it is necessary to tackle the root causes, and these do not necessarily come from a conscious desire on the part of men to belittle women. The survey we carried out also shows that women themselves can have discriminatory behavior towards their colleagues. Faced with someone who is competent and also confident in their legitimacy to hold positions of responsibility, attacks are less effective. Obviously, in a system that is not favorable to them, individual will cannot always be enough for a competent woman to be recognized at her true value; that is why it is necessary to support all initiatives related to the democratization of women's education and their emancipation at a societal level. In addition, the more structured the company, the fewer favorable conditions there are for differences between men and women. Indeed, in these cases, the organization should be based on the position, its skills needs, and not on the person who holds it.
What advice do you give them?
To be confident in their legitimacy, to hold strategic positions if they meet their skills criteria. To dare to believe in their potential and express it without self-censorship!
Nadia DREF
Published April 5, 2009
Posted online April 6, 2009
lematin.ma
Moroccan women are better off than their German counterparts. They are increasingly accessing positions of responsibility, especially middle management, while in Germany they represent barely 3% of top management, which remains minimal.
In Morocco, there is increasing talk of women in management, especially in the communication, human resources, marketing and even finance sectors. In addition, there are more and more women managers in services. To understand Moroccans' perception of this type of management, a survey was carried out by Invest RH in partnership with the monthly magazine Essor and Amal Job, with a sample of 1,140 people, 67% of whom were women and 73% were employees. According to those surveyed, 75.3% say that women hold management positions in their company. This shows the progress made in the level of occupancy of these positions and the increasing number of female graduates entering the job market.
According to the survey, the presence of women is confirmed in decision-making spheres, declared by 68% of the sample.
As for the position of general manager, women are beginning to make inroads. According to the published results, 12% of the companies approached are managed by women, mainly in the national private sector. This is mainly due to the rise of a new generation of women entrepreneurs, while discrimination still exists in multinationals, with only 7% of these groups having women at the head of decision-making positions. "When they are employees, the glass ceiling does exist, limiting their advancement to general management positions," the study specifies.
If the number of women in the companies surveyed is on average between 25% and 50%, the percentage of women in management only varies between 10% and 25%, which confirms the levels of positions held by women at intermediate and executive levels. One thing is certain: women are perceived as demanding, which sometimes creates internal disputes, especially from men who do not want to admit that women can manage effectively. The survey also shows that women themselves can have discriminatory behavior towards male colleagues. Therefore, an effort must be made at all levels for better management. "The organization should be based on the position, its skills needs, and not on the person who holds it," specifies Khadija Boughaba.
In light of the results of your survey, what would you say about the position of women in Moroccan companies?
The observation we can draw from the survey is that there is currently a dynamic in Morocco whereby women are increasingly present in decision-making processes. 74% of respondents say that women hold management positions, and 68% say that women sit on management committees. However, their representation remains low. According to those surveyed, they represent less than 25% of management positions, while they represent slightly less than the total number of employees. That is why we still cannot say that today, women actively participate in company decision-making, but that they are playing an increasingly important role in middle management.
How are our women managers perceived and what are their strengths in their management?
The perception is obviously not the same depending on whether the respondent is a man or a woman. For men, women are mainly guided by their emotions when making decisions. Women, on the other hand, perceive the decisions of their female managers as being above all well thought out. But everyone agrees that decisions made by women seem honest to them. Moreover, they are also considered organized and responsible in their duties, but where men judge their female superiors to be demanding, women retain above all their dynamism. When we look at the professions that are becoming increasingly feminized - those related to communication, marketing and human resources - we can deduce that the strength of women in their management is that they have a greater propensity to unite. Moreover, they are also increasingly present in finance-related professions, perhaps because they are perceived as meticulous and demanding?
What are the constraints faced by women?
The origin of the discrimination that women may experience during their careers is society's perception of women, which does not grant them a de facto decision-making role. That is to say, they are not predestined to lead or decide in the economic field. This is an "indirect" constraint, because it conditions the behavior of women who will not spontaneously set themselves the ambition of accessing key positions. This will often be perceived as a sign of emancipation, but also of sacrifice. Family life and its unavailability are obviously the main obstacles to a woman's career, since her legitimacy is perceived in managing the home and raising children. Also stemming from this perception, inequality in the level of education is naturally a contributing factor to the under-representation of women in decision-making spheres.
How can we overcome the reluctance of male colleagues?
To overcome the discrimination that women face at work, it is necessary to tackle the root causes, and these do not necessarily come from a conscious desire on the part of men to belittle women. The survey we carried out also shows that women themselves can have discriminatory behavior towards their colleagues. Faced with someone who is competent and also confident in their legitimacy to hold positions of responsibility, attacks are less effective. Obviously, in a system that is not favorable to them, individual will cannot always be enough for a competent woman to be recognized at her true value; that is why it is necessary to support all initiatives related to the democratization of women's education and their emancipation at a societal level. In addition, the more structured the company, the fewer favorable conditions there are for differences between men and women. Indeed, in these cases, the organization should be based on the position, its skills needs, and not on the person who holds it.
What advice do you give them?
To be confident in their legitimacy, to hold strategic positions if they meet their skills criteria. To dare to believe in their potential and express it without self-censorship!
Nadia DREF
Published April 5, 2009
Posted online April 6, 2009
lematin.ma
