The Globe and Mail ~ Report on Business ~ September 25, 2002 Page B7

Top women still finding barriers - 'The old boys' still cast a long shadow in the executive world, a survey finds

By Virginia Galt

Executive women are still encountering resistance from "the old boys" in head office, according to a new survey of 350 top-ranking Canadian women.

Male attitudes -- more specifically "lack of comfort on the part of men in dealing with women on a professional level" -- were cited as the major barrier to advancement by 69 per cent of the female executives who took part in a poll sponsored by Women's Executive Network.

The challenge of balancing career and personal life was No. 2 on the list of factors seen as inhibiting the advancement of women.

The polling firm, Pollara Inc., found some signs of progress -- 36 per cent of respondents said their organizations are making a strong effort to help executive women hurdle these barriers and 30 per cent reported that their employers are making a moderate effort.

Despite this, 65 per cent of the female executives said they still work in an environment where the workplace culture makes it easier for men to succeed than women. Some reported that they have to adopt a "pit-bull personality," promote themselves and learn to play golf to get ahead.

Despite this, 65 per cent of the female executives said they still work in an environment where the workplace culture makes it easier for men to succeed than women. Some reported that they have to adopt a "pit-bull personality," promote themselves and learn to play golf to get ahead.

Pamela Jeffery, founder of the Women's Executive Network, said she expects many male chief executive officers will reject the survey's findings as outmoded. However, she said, women clearly feel that organizations have a long way to go before there is equal opportunity -- "and these are [the views] of Canada's most successful women."

"Six in 10 (59 per cent) executive women feel they have had to work harder than a man they know who has similar qualifications and background as themselves, and who occupies a similar position," Pollara wrote in a report to be presented at a meeting of female executives in Toronto today. "This view is particularly widespread among those women who work in the private sector."

However, some leading women in the high-technology field said yesterday there are fewer barriers in their industry, perhaps because "the old boys' club" has never been well entrenched in the sector.

Gerri Sinclair, recently appointed to a strategic management position with Toronto-based Microsoft Canada Co., said in an interview yesterday that she has encountered few barriers in her career.

Technology and the Internet are both great equalizers, Ms. Sinclair said.

"You can work from anywhere," which makes it easy for women to balance their jobs with family obligations, and it is a field where people are judged more for the quality of their work than their gender, said Ms. Sinclair, the new general manager of Microsoft's MSN.CA, Canada's busiest Internet portal.

Victoria Withers, a mother of four and the executive responsible for sales and service in British Columbia for Toronto-based IBM Canada Ltd., said her company has come a long way. When she joined the company 25 years ago, she was one of three women in an 80-person department. They were such a novelty that they were referred to by colleagues as "Larry's angels" -- their boss at the time was named Larry.

But, added Ms. Withers, there is an open job posting policy and people are promoted on the basis of skill rather than gender. "It's a meritocracy," said Ms. Withers, who noted that IBM's top executives in B.C., Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan are all women. One-third of IBM Canada's employees are women and 26 per cent of the people in senior leadership positions are women, said IBM's director of diversity, Susan Turner.

"I think the remaining barriers will be removed over time . . . they don't get removed overnight," Ms. Turner said.

According to the Pollara survey, its fourth annual look into the perspectives of female executives, "Women say the main tools they employ in their fight to succeed are persistence, determination and networking initiatives.

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