Editorial note: If you have not yet read our mission statement above, please do so in order that you can put our blogs in context. 

12 December 2013

Men are nearly five times more likely than women to reach a senior executive position in the UK, according to research published by the 30% Club, a group of companies including Diageo, RBS and John Lewis, which has pledged to get more talented women into their boardrooms.

According to a report on the research published in the London Guardian on 11 December 2013, a survey of more than 500 men and women in 13 blue-chip companies showed that male executives were more likely to be seen as decisive and rational, while women were rated as well-organised and ethical – to the detriment of their promotion chances.

Antigone1984:

Surprise, surprise!

So the message to women in business is presumably quite simple: don’t be well-organised or ethical, then you’ll get on!

We can see no reason whatever why one cannot both be well-organised and ethical and, at the same time, decisive and rational.

What we appear to be seeing here is evidence of rank corporate prejudice against women – not that there is anything new in that.

There is also the suggestion that when a man or woman takes up a business career they must leave ethics behind them – or else!

Business is about the bottom line – and that’s it.

Fret about the morality of what you are doing and you do so at your peril.

Good to know.

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 You might perhaps care to view some of our earlier posts.  For instance:

1. Why? or How? That is the question (3 Jan 2012)

2. Partitocracy v. Democracy (20 July 2012)

3. The shoddiest possible goods at the highest possible prices (2 Feb 2012)

4. Capitalism in practice  (4 July 2012) 

5.Ladder  (21 June 2012)

 6. A tale of two cities (1)  (6 June 2012)

 7. A tale of two cities (2)  (7 June 2012)

 8. Where’s the beef? Ontology and tinned meat (31 Jan 2012)

Every so often we shall change this sample of previously published posts.

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