Women have made significant strides toward equal participation in global workplaces over recent decades, but still face many hurdles to their progression. Although women in the workforce are generally recognized as valuable contributors, certain industries still favor men.
Studies suggest that increasing the proportion of women in the workforce could significantly enhance financial performance. Gender disparity and male dominance are evident across multiple industries; male-dominated occupations can be defined as any profession where women make up less than 25 percent of the total workforce; it could take 135 years for us to close this gender gap completely worldwide.
This article will examine strategies to retain and recruit women into industries dominated by men.
How to attract talented women in male-dominated industries
1. Engage Everyone
To successfully attract talented women to your organization, start by being open about your intentions. Make it clear to everyone in the company that recruiting talented women as part of the team is one of its top goals and that all employees need to understand why this matters so much to you.
Some employees may be less enthusiastic, so your task should be to ensure they all share the same vision and educate them accordingly. Encourage them to spread the message that your company supports gender equity.
2. Women-friendly job ads
Did you know the words you use can make or break your job advertisements? According to one study of 70,000 ads, coded language has become common practice over time – for instance, ‘commit’ being one of the most often coded feminine terms.
Your job posting must speak directly to its target audience, especially women. Make sure that all possible perks that may appeal to women employees are listed, and do not hesitate to solicit input from current female employees if necessary – these women understand first-hand what it’s like working at your company!
3. Target Women
To reach women effectively with your ads, consider targeting women-specific groups or job boards specifically targeting them. Furthermore, reach out to women’s communities online such as social media platforms like LinkedIn as well as job fairs to increase exposure.
Research may be required, but doing this will ensure your job ads reach women more effectively. While not meant as a deterrent to male applicants, targeting areas where women spend time can help encourage more female applications.
Try virtual interviewing as well; live candidates from any location can be interviewed virtually, which allows you to engage with more female candidates and expand your pool of potential hires.
4. Benefits for Women
Develop a program that caters specifically to female participants. Not all benefits have the same value; certain options may appeal more strongly to men than others. Benefits are an integral component of any job package and providing inappropriate benefits may lead to 49 percent of your talent leaving within 12 months.
Interested in recruiting female talent? Provide benefits they value. Is your maternity policy comprehensive enough to cover prenatal care and is it up-to-date? Does your company offer flexible hours to employees who require them? Do you offer remote work or interviews with the help of interviewing software? Lists can be endless; just ensure your benefits and perks demonstrate you’re an organization welcoming women employees.
How to retain talented women
1. Leadership Opportunities Available Now
Attracting women with the qualifications necessary to work at your company is just part of the solution; retention is equally critical. Keep in mind that other, larger firms may also be competing for female talent.
As previously discussed, it is absolutely crucial that you educate your staff about gender equality and demonstrate your care. Promote existing female employees who deserve it into leadership positions if there are vacancies, and encourage mentoring from women in leadership positions as this shows that you trust women to make important decisions independently.
2. Take sexual harassment seriously
Your organization must implement a policy on sexual harassment. It should clearly define it and outline how incidents of harassment should be reported; unfortunately, 69% of women report having experienced workplace sexual harassment at some point in their careers.
Adopting a zero-tolerance policy toward sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination should be an imperative. Not only will it demonstrate your care, but employees will feel safer. You want to foster an environment that benefits women as well as men.
3. Equal Pay and Benefits
A 2021 study revealed that women only earned 82 cents of what men made, further perpetuating the gender pay gap and leading them to leave your employ altogether. Underpaying female workers can lead them down an unsatisfactory career path.
Inclusivity, diversity, and equity are essential for retaining top talent. Egality should be at the core of your organization – be it salary or benefits packages. To show that you care for all of your employees equally.
4. Encouragement Groups
A women’s employee resource group (ERG) can provide your female employees with an effective outlet. An ERG, in essence, consists of underrepresented workers within your company that are managed and approved by both employees and management.
ERGs provide female talent the freedom to voice their opinions, share ideas, and discuss any concerns that they might have. This promotes diversity and inclusion while giving female employees an opportunity to bond amongst themselves; 90 percent of Fortune 500 firms have ERGs as standard practice.
Conclusion
Retaining top female talent is no simple task for organizations. Businesses compete to hire the most acclaimed females available on the market. According to one study, female employees increase job satisfaction while decreasing burnout levels at work. Over time, barriers will gradually be lower and more women will enter industries previously dominated by men – the key here being gender equality efforts with concrete actions taken on that front.
