HR practitioners urged to create better opportunities for women, clearer maternity policies
The investment industry in Canada needs more women, according to new research conducted by Women in Capital Markets and sponsored by the country’s seven largest investment dealers.
Among the results:
•men outnumber women four to one in the industry;
•in the industry, women hold just 11 per cent of managing director positions (generally across Canada, women hold 32 per cent of management jobs, according to Statistics Canada);
•women hold mostly middle-office positions such as HR and finance;
•twenty-five per cent of women surveyed said sexist remarks are often tolerated in investment dealer firms and women are excluded from networking opportunities;
•women surveyed said they feel they must outperform their male colleagues to get the same rewards;
•women said they feel stereotypes are inhibiting the advancement of women;
•more than half the women surveyed said they feel shut out from informal networks (compared with 13 per cent of men who feel this way).
The study, Women in Canadian Investment Dealers: Growing the Pipeline, included surveys of more than 1,500 men and women about their experiences in the industry.
The study makes a number of recommendations for HR people, including clearer maternity-leave policies and improved networking opportunities for women.
Among the results:
•men outnumber women four to one in the industry;
•in the industry, women hold just 11 per cent of managing director positions (generally across Canada, women hold 32 per cent of management jobs, according to Statistics Canada);
•women hold mostly middle-office positions such as HR and finance;
•twenty-five per cent of women surveyed said sexist remarks are often tolerated in investment dealer firms and women are excluded from networking opportunities;
•women surveyed said they feel they must outperform their male colleagues to get the same rewards;
•women said they feel stereotypes are inhibiting the advancement of women;
•more than half the women surveyed said they feel shut out from informal networks (compared with 13 per cent of men who feel this way).
The study, Women in Canadian Investment Dealers: Growing the Pipeline, included surveys of more than 1,500 men and women about their experiences in the industry.
The study makes a number of recommendations for HR people, including clearer maternity-leave policies and improved networking opportunities for women.
