Tackling Workplace Barriers for Women’s Career Advancement

Rachael Flanagan seeks to challenge a long-standing office stereotype. “Gone are those days where someone’s hunched over a mop,” stated the founder of Mrs Buckét, the cleaning firm she established following her unsuccessful business A-level exam. Her staff is predominantly female, and she intends to assist in dismantling the impediments encountered by women in different professional environments. The business advocacy organization CBI Cymru identified that discrimination and unconscious bias were impeding women from attaining leadership positions, and that more accessible childcare would enhance their career opportunities. The CBI indicated that supporting more women to realize their capabilities and progress into leadership roles could exert a “significant impact” on the Welsh economy. For Ms Flanagan, a resident of Swansea, this involves empowering and assisting women who may experience “imposter syndrome” and lack the self-assurance to pursue senior positions. “I’ve had managers that have worked with me, and I’ve had several conversations with them on the sidelines to say ‘you can really do this’,” she remarked. She stated that male colleagues in the workplace also needed to participate in the shift in perspectives. “It shouldn’t be up to women to have to smash their way through all these different hurdles,” she commented. “The blokes in the room should be realising that they themselves are closing off opportunities, that there’s something about the culture in business which has made it difficult for women.” At 37 years old, Ms Flanagan has established a company that employs over 400 individuals in south Wales, leveraging advanced technology to clean offices, schools, and specialized locations. This differs from the part-time, low-skilled cleaning tasks traditionally performed by women in tabards, dusting around desks. Ms Flanagan mentioned that some of her most insightful mentors were men, yet she frequently found herself as the sole female presence among groups of chief executives and company founders. Consequently, she believes that improving opportunities for women begins with the culture within her own workplace, through flexible working arrangements and confidence in her staff to complete their duties while also managing commitments like the school run. “There are employers out there who really do give flexible working patterns,” Ms Flanagan stated. Her recommendation was: “Move [to] those companies so you can excel. She further commented: “Just because you’ve got small children doesn’t mean that you can’t still move on in your career as well.” A study conducted by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Cymru and the University of South Wales brought attention to the challenges encountered by women with aspirations for leadership. “We can’t deny that progress has been made,” remarked Asha Musoni, the CBI’s chief people officer. “But structural institution and cultural barriers still exist. “Those specific barriers are around flexible working, access to adequate childcare, gender bias at work, lack of mentorship opportunities and support for working fathers.” Certain data revealed the discrepancy between the workplace experiences of men and women. Only 11% of men, in contrast to 48% of women, believed they were overlooked for opportunities because of their gender. “And when you think about when they actually do get into these senior roles, 44% of women say that they are unfairly allocated tasks,” Ms Musoni stated. “Even giving people the opportunities, and then not allowing them this space and opportunity to flourish, is showing as a problem that we need to get behind and think about how we overcome that.” Rachael Flanagan indicated that a crucial motivator for women to pursue leadership positions was observing the achievements of others. “If you can’t see it, you can’t be it,” she affirmed.