The role of women in life sciences has moved forward with pace and the industry now boasts female leaders, female discoveries, and even Nobel Peace Prize winners but is this enough? The stark reality still remains that women are still hugely underrepresented in the upper echelons of life science organizations, with men holding 69% of all executive roles and still being paid more than their female counterparts. As more companies work towards a more balanced gender representation, we took a look at some of the strategies that can be implemented to help appeal to all.
Gender Inclusion Strategies
One of the biggest arguments made around gender inclusion is whether companies should hire women, irrespective of whether they are the best person for the job. In reality, no one is arguing that someone should be given a job based on their sex rather than their skills, but there are many great female candidates that are not given the opportunities that their male counterparts are offered.
Look at the following strategies to help right the inequality that still stands in the industry today:
- Make a Commitment and Tell Your Team – the first step to improving gender representation is to be committed to it and educate your team from the top down so that people know it is a priority. This will not only send a message within your organization but will help employees see that they have opportunities regardless of their gender.
- Train Your Executives – gender inclusion often requires a change in paradigms and so training your executives to understand, respect, and embrace diversity will have a huge impact on the organizations hiring practices. This training should also cascade down through your teams, helping to create a shift in your organization’s culture.
- Employ and Mentor Women – taking the time to search for great female candidates is also a vital step in increasing representation. With them in role, you can then create mentoring programs that help other female candidates feel represented, culminating in more female applications for higher-level positions.
Is Gender Inclusion Really That Important?
Yes! There are several reasons that gender inclusion is vital to the ongoing success of the life science industry, including:
- Diversity in a leadership team offers better outcomes than those that are more traditionally made up.
- Reducing the talent shortage in life science by prioritizing access to all genders rather than looking just at male candidates.
- Improving research for issues that may not have been considered by traditional leadership teams results in a wider range of scientific discoveries and better representation of all needs.
Helping You to Find the Best Talent
At GeneCoda®, we are proud to be a leader in the life science recruitment market, helping companies find the best talent for their executive positions. We strongly believe in a more balanced gender representation in the industry and take pride in finding great people that can help to break down barriers.
If you are keen to get support with your recruitment strategies then we would love to hear from you – connect with us today and let us help you redefine inclusion for your organization.