Women taking on the glass ceiling

Business Editor Amy Bould speaks tosuccessful career women who made their way to the top in a workplace traditionally dominated by men.

Forget the glass ceiling. Women are facing "reinforced concrete" as they try to climb the career ladder.

That was the verdict of a new report looking at women in the workplace, with research revealing that instead of breaking the mould and leading the way in Britain's top companies and organisation, the female worker is going into reverse and watching their male counterparts head for the top.

An annual study into women in top positions of power and influence across public and private sectors showed the biggest number of reversals since the report was started five years ago.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission said there was a "worrying trend" of reversal or stalled progress, with fewer women holding top jobs in 12 of 25 categories studied.

There were fewer women MPs, Cabinet members, national newspaper editors, senior police officers and judges, NHS executives, trade union leaders and heads of professional bodies than a year ago, said the report.

The number of female media bosses, MEPs, directors of major museums and galleries, chairs of national arts companies and holders of senior ranks in the Armed Forces remained the same.

Nicola Brewer, chief executive of the EHRC, said: "Young women's aspiration is in danger of giving way to frustration. Many of them are now excelling at school and are achieving great things in higher education, and they are keen to balance a family with a rewarding career.

"But workplaces forged in an era of stay-at-home mums and breadwinner dads are putting too many barriers in the way, resulting in an avoidable loss of talent at the top.

"We always speak of a glass ceiling. These figures reveal that in some cases it appears to be made of reinforced concrete. We need radical change to support those who are doing great work and help those who want to work better and release talent."

Charlotte Cooper is the youngest director in the Shropshire-based Wrekin Shell group of companies. She is also the only female director in the group which operates mainly in the engineering industry.

At 28 years old, she is director of sales and marketing for Gresswell Valves, which makes safety valves for boilers and process systems on oil rigs.

Charlotte says: "I have an engineering background, my father runs an engineering company in Telford and I worked in the engineering industry before taking on my current role.

"At first I did think that, as a woman in a very male-orientated environment, I might have a hard time. Often I am the only woman in a meeting and I have to go out on the road and meet with people who have been in the business for decades.

"But it has worked out very well. Being a woman doesn't make any difference to how I do my job, I wouldn't say it all comes down to experience and qualifications either, it's about personality and being able to get on with people.

"I find being a women in a male-dominated industry very challenging but it's not as tough as I thought it would be."

Carolyn Downes, the outgoing chief executive of Shropshire County Council, believes there isn't much evidence of a glass ceiling in the public sector. The council's top team is entirely female and 80 per cent of the authority's employees are women.

"It does have to be said that we have one of the highest levels of women in top positions in the country, but most of the women employed by the county are in roles such as caring, education and catering. "Personally, I haven't come across a glass ceiling but I think that is mainly because I have been lucky enough to find good childcare."

There is a barrier for some women, but often a self-imposed barrier because it can be difficult to find appropriate childcare," she adds.

Although in Shropshire, men in top jobs certainly outweigh the women, there is a swathe of women in the county setting up in business on their own.

They are entrepreneurs who may not have a staff of hundreds but hold directorships of their own companies and no-one else telling them what to do.

Tori Booth was married and caring for her first child when she decided to take the plunge and work from home as a health and safety consultant.

She began by offering advice to businesses and individuals in the minefield of health and safety regulations, and food hygiene and now runs Saracen Health and Safety.

"I wasn't surprised when I saw the results of the research, women face limitations on how much they can do because they are still expected to be the main carer in the family.

"I am a director of my company and I work my hours around the children. For me, work was a case of doing it for myself or not doing it at all.

"People also don't expect to see a woman in a position like mine because health and safety is quite a man's world.

"But slowly people are coming to accept it and recognise that as a woman I still know what's what when it comes to industries like engineering."

So is it really the case that women are not being allowed to break through the glass ceiling?

Or could it be that they are choosing a different way to build their career paths, often mixing a professional life with caring for a family and children.

Maybe the choice is there to climb the greasy pole but women are taking a closer look... and then choosing to walk away.

By Amy Bould