Source Group International is taking a stance to improve the future. We want to rally the troops and&nbsp;remind all that women are powerful, intelligent, and capable of achieving anything they set their minds to.&nbsp;
But what does it really mean to say that the future is female? For starters, it means that we need to work towards a world where women are no longer held back by gender stereotypes or discrimination.&nbsp;
Playing the field
But it's not just about leveling the playing field. The future is female because women bring unique perspectives and strengths to the table. <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-wins-how-inclusion-matters">Research</a> has shown that companies with diverse leadership teams perform better than those without, and having more women in leadership positions can lead to more inclusive decision-making and better outcomes for everyone.&nbsp;
The Challenges
Of course, there are still many challenges to overcome. Women still face discrimination, harassment, and violence in many parts of the world. They are often underrepresented in positions of power, and they still earn less than men on average. But the fact that the future is female means that we have the potential to change all of that. By working together to create a more equitable and just society, we can ensure that women have the opportunities and support they need to thrive.
So what can we do to make the future truly female?
We can support women in our personal and professional lives. We can mentor young girls and women, help them develop their skills and talents, and advocate for their rights and opportunities.&nbsp;
In conclusion, the future is female because women are powerful, intelligent, and capable of achieving great things. By working together to break down gender barriers and create a more equitable society, we can ensure that women have the opportunities and support they need to thrive. So let's embrace the future with open arms, and continue to work towards a world where women can truly shine.
Join us on our mission to improve the future and enable everyone to <a href="https://www.sourcegroupinternational.com/discover-sgi/diversity/">discover their potential</a>.&nbsp;

The Future is Female

Gender inequality is prevalent across all industries, and the recruitment sector isn&rsquo;t exempt. Historically the recruitment industry has had a &lsquo;boys club&rsquo; image. With the adage, it&rsquo;s not what you know it&rsquo;s who you know running rampant. These days we&rsquo;re thankful to say that the recruitment industry has moved away from this image.
There are more female leaders than ever before, support staff is primarily women, and even in the traditionally male dominated sales roles women are starting to gain ground. All of this is reason to celebrate, but only if we&rsquo;re still aware that there&rsquo;s work to be done.&nbsp;
Gender pay gaps, divide in gender job roles, and progression routes need to be kept in mind to help women achieve more success and make more progress. As when that happens it&rsquo;s recruitment firms who will benefit from the commercial gains these achievements bring. 
<h3><a name="_inln3i2a7la"></a>What&rsquo;s the story so far?</h3>
In 2020 <a href="https://www.bluesky-pr.com/blog/recruitment-hr-and-talent-management/international-womens-day-lets-address-the-gender-imbalance-in-recruitment">research</a> found that 26% of recruitment firm directors were female. This is broadly in line with trends across all industries, showing that recruitment are keeping pace with general female career progression.&nbsp;
There are also significant gains with support staff roles. With over two thirds of recruitment agencies having over 50% female employees at support staff levels. That&rsquo;s above average. The concern comes around the divide between support roles and sales.
<h3><a name="_v2vz6s4jkygu"></a>The role divide</h3>
Within the recruitment industry there&rsquo;s a clear divide between support and resourcing roles. Traditionally, there&rsquo;s been a gender divide between those two functions with <a href="https://utilitypeopleuk.com/women-in-recruitment-di/">78% of staffing companies</a> acknowledging that over half their support function was composed of female employees. Progress had been made on the resourcing side and the number of women in sales had reached more than <a href="https://bdaily.co.uk/articles/2020/06/05/gender-diversity-in-the-recruitment-sector-still-work-to-be-done-reveals-new-report">50%</a>, but post pandemic that figure has reduced to around 30%.&nbsp;
This divide between support and sales is something that recruitment companies need to monitor and be prepared to take action. The support side is often deemed the &lsquo;softer&rsquo; side of the business with functions such as marketing and HR, which are generally stereotyped as more suited to women.
Recruitment firms need to challenge the viewpoint that sales or resourcing is a cut throat, relentless role that usually attracts, and retains male employees. Changing the culture and the narrative around these roles is key to helping women progress in the recruitment industry.
<h3><a name="_1xmm6jjkwrxz"></a>Successes</h3>
The recruitment sector has been a supporter of working from home, which stood it in good stead when the pandemic hit. The need to switch to flexible and remote working enabled many female employees to continue their roles alongside caring responsibilities.&nbsp;
This isn&rsquo;t the only way the sector has supported female employees. <a href="https://www2.staffingindustry.com/eng/Editorial/Daily-News/World-A-quarter-of-recruitment-firm-leaders-are-female-suggesting-gender-imbalance-study-finds-53053">31% of firms</a> have initiatives in place with the sole aim to retain female talent. The recognition that there need to be specific steps, support and intervention for female employees and that these are different to their male counterparts is a breath of fresh air.
<h3><a name="_yy8yoiz2bs4o"></a>Where do we go from here?</h3>
From here the only way the recruitment industry needs to go is up. The work already started needs to continue. Firms need to look at what challenges female employees still face and work to address these.&nbsp;
Across the board the pandemic has impacted women, their careers and in the wider context gender equality. It&rsquo;s up to the industry to step up and talk to their female employees to establish what more they need. Not only for their own benefit but also to impact the sectors and businesses they work with.&nbsp;
The recruitment industry is uniquely poised to impact the hiring and career progression for women outside of their own sector. Change within recruitment itself will lead to change for others and create opportunities for women to climb the career ladder, break glass ceilings and receive equal pay for equal work.
The recruitment industry has established itself and its commitment to gender equality but now it needs to focus on leading the way. Mentoring schemes, anonymous applications, career progression, flexible working, the role divide, gender pay gap - these are all things that are within its control, and they are the key to being able to reflect in another year's time on how far the industry has gone to champion women not only in the recruitment industry, but across employment as a whole.
Source Group International are passionate about evolving the recruitment industry, and we&rsquo;re looking for talent to join us on our discovery. Find out more about our internal practices contributing to building an inclusive workforce <a href="../../../../discover-sgi/diversity/">here.</a>

The Rise of Women in Recruitment:  Celebrating Success and Progress

We could start this article by explaining all the ways that a business benefits from a truly inclusive workplace. Increases in productivity, bigger talentpool, broader perspectives. But the hope is, that if you&rsquo;re reading this you&rsquo;re already sold on the why. You&rsquo;re struggling with the how.
How do you create an inclusive future? How can the tech industry support and encourage more women to take on roles in the sector? What else can we do? We don&rsquo;t have all the answers, but we definitely have a starting point.
<h2><a name="_e8ls4e9sx8ip"></a>Current state of the tech industry</h2>
With a surge in demand for tech jobs the sector has seen an incredible recovery from the pandemic, with the number of tech jobs <a href="https://technation.io/jobs-and-skills-report-2021/">42% higher</a> in June 2021 then in June 2019. But what role do women play within those jobs?
As of 2022, women held just <a href="https://explodingtopics.com/blog/women-in-tech">26.7% of technology jobs </a>globally. That&rsquo;s not to say progress hasn&rsquo;t been made. Research by <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/technology/technology-media-and-telecom-predictions/2022/statistics-show-women-in-technology-are-facing-new-headwinds.html">Deloitte </a>shows that the 20 largest tech companies have maintained their momentum in gender inclusivity over the past two years. With overall female representation up just over 2% from 2 years prior.
The tech industry has always been male dominated. A <a href="https://www.pwc.co.uk/who-we-are/women-in-technology/time-to-close-the-gender-gap.html">PwC study</a> found that only 3% of women say a tech career is their first choice. That&rsquo;s something the industry is aware of and taking steps to address. But what&rsquo;s also clear is that more needs to be done to create a truly inclusive future and to make sure that women are front and centre in that future.
<h2><a name="_pxbej9valf8j"></a>How to create a more inclusive future?</h2>
For tech companies that are serious about creating a more inclusive workplace, workforce and future there are basic steps that can be taken. Focusing on supporting your employees, opening doors and leading by example tech firms can start to create a working environment that welcomes and supports women.
<h3><a name="_js7qn3ru2zkn"></a>Recognising the issue</h3>
The starting point is to be truly honest about your company's current situation. What&rsquo;s your gender balance? What&rsquo;s your gender pay gap? What&rsquo;s your flexible working policy and is it adhered to? How are you supporting women&rsquo;s career progression? Have you spoken to women in your workplace about their needs?
Taking an honest look at your inner-workings allows you to make informed decisions that help achieve an inclusive future, rather than guessing about what might help.
<h3><a name="_g8dw4hh97w6k"></a>Working culture</h3>
The tech industry is notorious for burnout and long-hours. For many women who take on the bulk of caring responsibilities that&rsquo;s simply not an option. After having one child, the <a href="https://www.thatworksforme.co.uk/guides-and-tools/careers-after-babies">Career after Babies report</a> found that 89% of all working mothers leave the full time workforce within 3 years of having children. Showing that full time work and long hours simply isn&rsquo;t sustainable with having a young family.
Tech companies need to build flexible working, whether that&rsquo;s compressed hours, working remotely, part time, job shares or any other measures into their working culture. With senior managers fully supporting and enforcing flexible working to make it a success.
<h3><a name="_qr9vk62z9c2d"></a>Support</h3>
With so few female leader role models, it makes it difficult for women to forge a path to the top, or have the belief that they can do it. That&rsquo;s where mentoring comes in.
Being paired up with a mentor helps women have a safe space to discuss any challenges they&rsquo;re facing, and navigate through them. In companies with established mentoring schemes they&rsquo;re found it helps develop leadership skills, increase self-confidence and navigate career obstacles. The results speak for themselves, with <a href="https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/podcast/knowledge-at-wharton-podcast/workplace-loyalties-change-but-the-value-of-mentoring-doesnt/">25% of mentees</a> advancing up a pay grade compared to 5% of non-mentored women.
From an employer&rsquo;s perspective mentoring can improve employee retention rates. With 49% of those surveyed in a case study by <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/07/14/driving-employee-retention-through-mentorship/?sh=5500159e11b6">Randstad </a>less likely to leave after participating in a mentoring program.
A mentoring program is a clever way not only to keep those in the tech industry engaged, but also to attract and support more women into the sector.
<h2><a name="_pxwvv2ysc5ab"></a>Investing in women</h2>
Creating a more inclusive future for women in the tech industry starts early. We need to look at initiatives that create interest from school years in STEM subjects and then keep girls interested throughout their further studies.
That requires investment, it requires forward thinking and it requires commitment.
There&rsquo;s no quick fix to creating a more inclusive future. But the tech industry can be the ones to pioneer change, to flex to support women and to create an environment where women thrive alongside their male counterparts.
Listening, flexibility and mentorship might not be the only things needed but they&rsquo;re a great starting point for any business to show their commitment to inclusivity and to start to move forward.
Source Technology, as part of Source Group International are dedicated to discovering technology talent to drive your business forward. If you&rsquo;re passionate about building an inclusive future for your organisation then speak to our experts today. Find out more about how we can work with you <a href="../../../../discover-sgi/diversity/">here</a>.

Women in Tech: Leading the way to a more inclusive future

Unless you&rsquo;ve been living under a rock you&rsquo;ll have heard of the gender pay gap. You might also have heard the date 20 November - after which women are effectively working for free. There&rsquo;s a slim chance you might know that businesses with over 250 employees need to report their gender pay gap annually.
It&rsquo;s a real issue, with real implications. How do we close it? That&rsquo;s the question everyone is asking.
Recruitment sits in a unique position of influence, without any closing influence. What do we mean by that? Recruitment teams can play a part in which candidates are put forward for a role but they don&rsquo;t determine who&rsquo;s successful. But that sliver of influence means there&rsquo;s a lot that recruitment can do to promote equality and move towards closing the gap.
<h2><a name="_joujeec3j7o9"></a>What is the gender pay gap?</h2>
In 1970 the Equal Pay Act came into law, making it illegal to discriminate between men and women when it came to terms of employment, i.e. pay. Despite that law being in place for over 50 years there&rsquo;s still a stark contrast between men and women when it comes to their earnings.
The gender pay gap is the difference in average gross hourly earnings between men and women. In the UK the gender pay gap at age <a href="https://www.thatworksforme.co.uk/guides-and-tools/careers-after-babies">30 is 1%</a>, this rises to 14% by the time workers are aged 40.
Covid-19 has played a part in worsening the gender pay gap over recent years, so it&rsquo;s difficult to say whether there&rsquo;s been an improvement over the years. Amongst full-time employees the pay gap was <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/bulletins/genderpaygapintheuk/2022">8.3% in April 2022</a> compared to 9% in April 2019. This does follow the overarching trend that the gap is slowly declining, but there&rsquo;s still a great deal more to be done.
<h2><a name="_qvsw5y8bdl4s"></a>What role does recruitment play?</h2>
As a recruitment agency it would be easy for us to pass the blame to other people. It&rsquo;s our clients that interview and set the salaries. It&rsquo;s the candidates who don&rsquo;t push for more, or accept low offers. But the truth is for society to close the gender pay gap we all need to take responsibility and all need to play our part.
There are many ways that recruiters, whether external or in-house, can help to promote equality throughout the recruitment process.
●&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Encourage women to apply for senior roles
●&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Include more women in referral networks
●&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Be aware of gender bias
It&rsquo;s the last point that is the most critical. We all hold stereotypes about gender. Whether that&rsquo;s believing that women are suited to certain roles, or the style of working men and women prefer and the impact on their careers.
<h3><a name="_yw1eoubwzopw"></a>Job adverts</h3>
Understanding, and eradicating, gender bias is the foundation to closing the gender pay gap. This starts with the job advert itself and looking at what recruitment channels you&rsquo;re using, the language in the advert and the essential requirements. Are they accessible to both male and female candidates? It&rsquo;s important to examine the language in job adverts as in an <a href="https://www.equalsalary.org/10-hr-tips-to-prevent-gender-bias-in-recruitment/">analysis of 77,000 job adverts </a>- 478,175 words carried gender bias which is an average of 6 male or female-coded words per advert.
<h3><a name="_nxbbrpbw72tv"></a>Anonymous applications</h3>
It&rsquo;s amazing the impact a name can have. Removing personal details from an application or CV such as name, education details and dates levels the playing field instantly. There&rsquo;s no time for your brain to calculate that Sarah is a 35-year-old woman applying for a Senior Manager position and what if she goes on maternity leave. Instead you have to make a decision based on the information you have, not the bias in your mind.
<h3><a name="_m96jqra7klen"></a>Diversity in action</h3>
Women need to see women in the roles they aspire to have. Including senior women in the interview process and demonstrating a commitment to diversity and inclusion is a surefire way to attract and secure more female candidates. It will also help reduce gender bias on a panel through a wider range of experiences and opinions.
<h2><a name="_e6qpwwu63k8t"></a>What more could recruitment do?</h2>
There is always more that can be done by everyone. While the overall trend of the gender pay gap is decreasing, there&rsquo;s still too much of a disparity. The role that recruitment plays in promoting equality is simple.
It&rsquo;s to take the steps they can to level the playing field, through job adverts, language, accessibility. But it&rsquo;s also to champion lesser represented candidates, approaching female candidates to apply for roles, pushing for equal remuneration packages for all candidates and using their position of oversight to help level the playing field.
We can close the gender pay gap, but it requires us all to play our part. To be aware of our bias and to take whatever steps we can to equalise our working environments.
Source Technology are dedicated to discovering technology talent to drive your business forward. If you&rsquo;re passionate about building an inclusive future for your organisation then speak to our experts today. Find out about our process and how we can work with you, <a href="../../../../source-technology/our-process/">here</a>.
&nbsp;

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