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How To Empower Women in the Workplace
05 Aug, 20241-2 minutes
In this blog, you will learn:
- Why it’s important to empower women in the workplace.
- The history of women in the workplace.
- How to empower women in the workplace.
- Discover more about our recruitment services.
In today's world, empowering women in the workplace has become more than just a goal, it's a necessity for driving innovation and growth. Despite significant progress in gender equality, women still face challenges that hinder their opportunities and professional advancement.
Research from HiBob in 2023 found that only 16% of women received promotions compared to 23% of men. They said ‘This is troubling because it suggests that female employees may not have equal career advancement opportunities at their companies.’
Addressing these challenges requires a varied approach from encouraging women to speak up to creating an inclusive workplace culture.
Throughout this blog, we’ll uncover why it's important to empower women in the workplace and how you can empower your female employees.
The history of women in the workplace
Between 1914 and 1918, more than one million women joined the workforce to fill the gaps left by the men who went to join the military. Women worked as Police Officers, Fire Engine Drivers, Nurses, Engineers and Air Raid Wardens.
Despite the new opportunities they had, the working conditions were poor and they often received discrimination and harassment in the workplace. Once the war ended, women were expected to go back to their normal lives and men returned to their jobs.
Why is it important to empower women in the workplace?
When women in the workplace are empowered, they have control over their own career. By providing training, equality programmes and promotions into senior-level positions, you invest in womens career growth which is crucial for improving employee satisfaction.
When women are given equal opportunities to men, your business benefits from a wider range of perspectives which drives creativity and problem solving.
Empowering women in the workplace also helps break down the societal barriers which sets a positive example for Gen Z and future generations.
How to empower women in the workplace
Ways to empower women in the workplace:
- Create an inclusive workplace culture.
- Equal maternity and paternity leave
- Implement flexible work arrangements.
- Provide opportunities for women to be in leadership roles.
- Encourage women to speak up.
Create an inclusive workplace culture
Creating an inclusive workplace culture to empower women is essential for creating diversity and enhancing innovation. A workplace that supports women ensures that their perspectives and skills are utilised which leads to more creative decision making and problem solving.
An inclusive workplace also promotes equality and increases employee satisfaction which contributes to a more dynamic workplace. By empowering women in the workplace, you not only follow ethical standards but also position yourself as leaders in an equitable workforce.
Support women during and after maternity leave
Supporting women during and after maternity leave can empower them in the workplace. When women are on maternity leave, it’s important to make sure that they don’t miss out on promotions, training, pay rises and performance reviews.
If a new mum returns to find that their job responsibilities have been altered or their role has changed, you run the risk of making women feel unconfident or unhappy within their role.
Keeping women in the loop while they are in maternity can help increase their confidence as they know what has been going on and aren't returning with no updates.
When women return back to work, you could give them a refresh of their role and responsibilities and ask them if there is anything you can do to support them. By being supportive and understanding, women will feel empowered and confident to return to work.
Implement flexible work arrangements
The traditional 9 to 5 job has been a barrier for women aiming to balance their personal life with their professional aspirations. By implementing flexible working arrangements, you allow women to create a work schedule that aligns with their needs, which helps them juggle their responsibilities more effectively.
Whether it's an important work meeting or attending their child's school play, having flexibility empowers women to achieve both their professional and personal milestones without having to prioritise one.
Provide opportunities for women to be in leadership roles
Women's careers are often pushed back due to motherhood so providing the opportunity for them to be and stay in leadership positions is crucial to empowering them in the workplace.
Women are frequently praised for their emotional intelligence and empathy which are key qualities for good leadership as it allows them to understand and address needs and manage conflicts effectively.
By breaking barriers, female leaders can inspire future generations to strive for leadership roles which paves the way for overall empowerment.
By giving women the opportunity, it empowers them to take steps towards leadership and also shows other female employees that there are opportunities for them in the future to be in a leadership position.
According to Powerful Women, women occupy 31% of leadership roles, compared with 29% in 2022. This shows businesses are providing more opportunities for women to be in leadership positions.
Encourage women to speak up
By encouraging women to speak up, you create an empowering environment where women are able to voice their opinions, ideas and concerns. When women share their opinions and ideas, they become more influential which can lead to more career opportunities and leadership roles.
Encouraging women to speak up also helps break down gender biases, creating a more supportive workplace. By speaking up, women can advocate for themselves, driving positive change.
When showing that you want female employees to speak up, you may empower those who are less confident to voice their ideas and opinions.
Recruit teaching staff
As a specialist education recruitment agency, we support mainstream and SEND schools with their temporary, permanent and temp-perm staffing needs.
We currently work with hundreds of schools and have exclusive access to some of the best Teachers and Teaching Assistants in the North West.
If you’re struggling to fill a teaching vacancy, why not get in touch with one of our team to see how we can help?
Primary schools - Jimmy Callagher
Secondary schools - Liam Jones
SEND schools - Jamie Heath
Teaching jobs
If you’re searching for your next teaching job, why not take a look at the latest teaching vacancies, or simply upload your CV to be notified when a relevant position becomes available.
Who is Spencer Clarke Group?
Established in 2017, we’re a vibrant and progressive recruitment agency based in the heart of the North West.
We continually reimagine the recruitment process to challenge convention and defy expectations; from creating a better recruitment experience to remodelling employee engagement, we thrive off doing things differently and turning heads along the way.
We operate in two sectors:
In eleven specialisms:
Healthcare, Social Care & Nursing
Corporate Functions & Business Support
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