Breaking the glass ceiling is tougher for career women

Key quote

"Women have made great strides in the workplace over the last 30 years, but the fact that still so few have reached the boardroom proves that the glass ceiling, though it might be cracked, has not yet broken." - JENNY WATSON, EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES COMMISSION

Story in full SHE has achieved the holy grail of modern life, successfully combining her high-flying career with a happy and a stable family life. And today Cherie Blair will tell a conference of successful businesswomen in Glasgow how she has achieved it and the importance of bridging the gender gap.

But her speech comes as new evidence suggests it is getting harder to follow in her footsteps. A survey published yesterday revealed the number of female board directors in the top 100 firms has fallen from 121 in 2005 to 117 in 2006, with only three women chief executives - as has the percentage of boardroom positions held by women.

One leading employment lawyer in Edinburgh said it would be decades before the goal of equality is finally achieved and that it would take legislation - as well as inspiration - for most women to break through the glass ceiling.

The Prime Minister's wife will address an audience of top-flight entrepreneurs and executives at the Global Alliance for Women World Summit, offering an insight into how she juggles her role as a mother, wife and QC.

Almost 200 women from as far afield as the US, Australia, New Zealand and Central America will hear Ms Booth discuss issues facing working women. She will talk about the Global Gender Gap report from the World Economic Forum, which showed the UK falling behind Nordic countries, and why women are a powerful economic force.

But new research suggests British women are shunning top-flight careers because of a working culture of long hours, which is making it almost impossible to have a happy family life.

According to research carried out by headhunters Moira Benigson Executive Search, some women are choosing, albeit reluctantly, to leave senior posts. The survey asked women about their experiences and why there is such a small number of women in top posts.

Among the reasons suggested were the "inner inhibitor" - many women choose family over "stratospheric success" - out-dated attitudes towards women with children and inflexible working arrangements.

Ms Benigson, a mother of three, said more firms will need to introduce flexible hours.

She said: "It's a cultural thing. At the moment we have to be available ... seven days a week, 24 hours a day but that's very difficult when you have a family."

She pointed out that three of Britain's largest consumer firms - Associated British Food, RHM and Scottish & Newcastle - do not have a single female board member. Unilever has just one woman on its board, a non-executive director.

The annual Female FTSE report, published yesterday, revealed that after many years of increasing female participation in the boardrooms of Britain's top companies, the number of women directorships had dropped this year from 121 to 117. The position is even worse in the next 250 largest listed companies, where there are only 139 female directors and 135 senior female senior executives.

Carol Fox, an employment lawyer in Edinburgh, said: "This holy grail of a work-life balance is not going to be achieved overnight. Let's be honest, the pace of change is extremely slow and it could take decades before we get what we want. We need bold decisions by government and employers if we are serious about equal pay and breaking through the glass ceiling."

Ms Fox said the Prime Minister's wife had a real opportunity to make a difference at the conference and called on her to seize the initiative. "Women like Cherie Booth should be calling for legislation which actually makes a difference to ordinary working women. Most women don't have the financial resources or the army of support staff which allow these high-profile women to function."

The Equal Pay Act, which hit the statute books in 1970, was supposed to remove discrimination, but despite the promise of change, studies have shown that, on average, British women still earn about three-quarters the pay of men.

A nationwide skills shortage could see more opportunities open up for women in traditionally male industries.

Yesterday, one of the most prominent leaders in Britain's oil and gas industry called for an end to the male-dominated world of the North Sea's offshore rigs and production platforms.

Malcolm Webb, the chief executive of the UK Offshore Operators' Association, told a conference in Aberdeen that the industry was missing out on half the available workforce because too few women were being recruited to work offshore.

He was backed by Malcolm Wicks, the energy minister, who told delegates: "Chuck away the sexist stuff - we have really got to get to grips with this issue if it is really to make an impact."

Jenny Watson, chairwoman of the Equal Opportunities Commission, said it made sound business sense for companies to allow women flexible hours. She said: "Women have made great strides in the workplace over the last 30 years, but the fact that still so few have reached the boardroom proves that the glass ceiling, though it might be cracked, has not yet broken."

Few

perks for Britain's most famous working mum
AL

THOUGH a well-oiled civil service machine surrounds her husband 24 hours a day, Cherie Blair receives far less help and support from the taxpayer than many assume.

Her government car and driver are possibly the greatest perk that arises from her marriage to the Prime Minister.

While she and her children have constant police protection, the officers are strictly limited to protection work: any child-minding or nannying services must be provided by staff paid from the Blairs' own funds.

At least one hired help caused Mrs Blair serious concern: Ros Mark tried to publish details of her time as a nanny to the Blairs, but was ultimately prevented by a legal injunction.

When it comes to her much-scrutinised appearance, Mrs Blair foots the bill, although the Labour Party last year contributed more than £7,000 to pay her personal hairdresser, Andre Suard.

Because her shopping trips attract unwanted attention she relies on friends and "fixers".

Despite reports that she earns £300,000 or more a year as a barrister, friends say Mrs Blair's family responsibilities prevent her working the very long hours required to earn such sums.

Fema

le law graduate thriving in the man's world of offshore drilling
KA

RYN Hossack, a law and management graduate from Aberdeen's Robert Gordon University, is one of only 423 women working in the male-dominated world of Britain's offshore oil and gas industry.

The 28 year-old from Turriff started working in the industry seven years ago in the contracts department of Maersk Oil, one of the industry's top service firms.

But a year ago, in a dramatic career change, she began training to be a drilling engineer and is already working offshore as a nightshift drilling supervisor in one of the industry's toughest environments.

Karyn explained yesterday: "When I began working on contracts for the drilling team, I just became more and more interested in what the drilling engineers were working on versus what I was working on.

"I asked the company if they would support me making the transition from contracts over into drilling which was pretty bizarre to some people.

"But they agreed to do that and have actively encouraged me to fulfil my ambition. And since last September I have been training as a drilling engineer."

She said "It's still a bit of man's world offshore, but I am never the only female on the rig. And I don't have any problems with it at all. Everybody is really nice and friendly and it's not nearly as bad as people think it is. The horror stories you used to hear about the accommodation and the facilities offshore just aren't true."

Karyn added: "My advice to any other female, thinking about working offshore, would be not to hesitate and grab the opportunity with both hands. And if they want to be in the oil business then offshore is a great place to learn."

Self

-employment allows me to be here for my child
LI

KE most working mothers, Naomi Glover is trying to achieve the impossible: a perfect life-work balance.

But after turning her back on the high-flying world of finance, she may have found what she was looking for. Since the birth of her daughter Caitie in July 2004 her life has changed, but she knows it is all for the best.

"I used to be in the office by 7am and I rarely got away before 5:30pm. I did a lot of work from home in the evenings as well. I didn't have a clue about the impact of having a baby and how it would affect my life and work pattern.

"I decided to change careers altogether and left the bank to work for myself. Although I still put in the hours, I'm self-employed so I can set my hours to suit myself."

After giving birth, Mrs Glover, 30, of Dunbar, East Lothian, was allowed to work part-time as a learning and development manager for an international bank in Edinburgh.

But when it was suggested she return full-time, she knew she would not be able to sustain the 50-plus hours a week that she had worked previously. Instead, she started her own company, Envision Coaching, offering tuition for those aiming to improve their performance in the workplace or private life. "After six months on maternity leave, I didn't really feel ready to go back to work and I was really enjoying being a mum.

"Later, I went back part-time, but there were days when I'd have to rush home, pick up my daughter and then work in the evenings."

Working from home offers Mrs Glover flexibility: "If my daughter is ill, I'm here for her and not worrying about how to get back from the office."

She is one of the lucky ones and says some friends who have had children "have found it a real struggle to go back to work. Their employers were really unsupportive about working part-time.

"Some have felt very marginalised. The inference was that because they were mothers, they weren't really taking their job seriously."

Inve

sting in businesswomen
IN

VESTORS can now support businesses which are at least 50 per cent controlled by women by putting their money into Trapezia, the UK's first venture capital fund dedicated to supporting women-focused companies.

In the United States, funds concentrating on businesses run by women form a large market. With Trapezia, people put their money in to high-potential unquoted businesses where women have a major influence; a first for the UK.

Clare Logie, of the Bank of Scotland's Women in Business unit, said: "Women have about 35 per cent of the capital of men when they launch businesses, which is why they grow more slowly. They tend to borrow as little as possible and use their own capital, partly because they have less contact with formal networks."