By Layan Damanhouri
JEDDAH – Very little has changed for women in the work environment since the beginning of the 21st century. Reaching middle management levels in an organization is possible but getting to senior positions especially in male-dominated environments still remains one challenge among many others.
This was disclosed by British executive education instructor Fiona Dent who worked with researcher Viki Holton in writing their latest book ‘How to Thrive and Survive as a Working Woman: The Coach Yourself Toolkit’.
While many organizations today incorporate policies to facilitate women’s climb up the career ladder, applying them fairly is not necessarily done, especially depending on the culture of the industry or organization itself.
“Both of us have been working in the area of women in business for most of our careers. We discovered there were enough books out there about the current situation for working women. They all had the same theme but were taken from slightly different perspectives,” she told Saudi Gazette. “We couldn’t find a book that said, ‘So what?’ We know women still face challenges but what can they do about it? The real motivation for our latest book was to give women ideas on things they could do and give them a practical guide.”
Dent shared insights to their researches conducted in 2010 and later in 2015 that revealed many of the recurrent themes haven’t been solved for working women around the globe.
A tough and assertive style in leadership is still negatively perceived by male counterparts in many parts of the world. When asking for promotions, men are more pushy in applying than women who are generally passive. Exerting confidence in decision-making is another key difference between men and women as well as for bosses.
Based on their own professional experience in leading executive education and development courses as well as researching independently on the book, she said “we found many of the same themes. It seems there’s still a lot of support required for women in business.”
However, the book ended up serving as a practical guide for women in different fields and career levels.
The research was based on over 1400 responses to questionnaires by women from all over the world, including the United Kingdom, China, the Middle East, Europe, and the United States. The questions were mainly qualitative in the subsequent research done.
"Women tend to put up with situations and say things like, ‘It’s better than not having a job at all’ or ‘I’m lucky in this position so I don’t want to rock the boat’," Dent further said. “There are some things women can do for themselves that help them thrive and survive.”
Advice in the book include things women can proactively do themselves such as how to build self-confidence, seeking for coaching and mentorship, learning skills, creating a women’s network, and many others.
When asked about women in the Middle East, Dent said from personal experience working with Arab clients and instructing businesswomen in leadership programs, the number of enrollment has increased significantly.
From having about 30% of women in a program before the 2000’s, today more women up to 60% are voluntarily taking up courses and are receiving higher education degrees as well as succeeding in local organizations.
