Jaluch Limited

Following on from yesterday's blog about the government getting hot under the collar about the dearth of women on Boards of the top 100 UK companies, not surprisingly I have a few thoughts: 

The government says that over half of all graduates are women therefore there should be more women on Boards of Directors. But how many exactly? What proportion of women should be on the boards of our top companies?  

Perhaps our esteemed Prime Minister could tell us if we looking at one woman for every ten male directors, or two for every ten male directors or are we talking a 50:50 split for true diversity? And if you want it in blunt terms - are we talking token women or a really balanced board?  

And is the Government saying that to have a degree is a more important requisite for being considered for a Board than say 25+ years experience? How relevant is it to look at the number of graduates when starting the debate? Surely someone somewhere must have done some research into the current number of women in senior management positions as they are the ones who would be promoted to boards, not graduates.  

And to really throw the cat amongst the pigeons what answers do any of you have to the following questions…..

1. How many women really want the awful hours and frequently thankless job of being a director of a top 100 company ie how big exactly is the female candidate pool for these types of jobs?
2. How many women does the government want to forgo having a family in order to get the necessary experience for a top job so we can all have a cosy feeling about diversity – or does the government really think that women can have it all?
3. And finally, if we are to be really honest, what sort of pressure does it put on women to feel they ought to be aiming for the top jobs when we constantly hear that those jobs are just waiting for us? Are false expectations being set?