HR professionals around the world have been working to put an end to a lack of female representation throughout leadership roles. A more diverse workplace promotes different types of leadership which can complement, challenge and improve upon each other. However, the recent results from the US election may have dealt a blow to the morale of women looking for success.
Hilary’s deficit may have negatively impacted female politicians, who could now assume that America rejects the possibility of a female President. Not only did she fail to shatter the most prominent glass ceiling in politics, she also lost to a candidate who constantly accused her of exploiting her gender for political gain.
However, while Hilary herself was unable to claim the oval office for her own, the legacy of her campaign is sure to positively affect the attitudes of many. While not all women were behind the liberal feminism ideology Clinton rallied with, it still resonated with many women across the USA.
Currently America has a lack of female representation throughout their political system and the Inter-Parliamentary Union has ranked them 100th in the world for the number of women within the main legislative body.
There is a worry that this defeat could potentially discourage female candidates from trying to break into the politics, especially since the campaign trail saw vast insults and intrusive claims thrown towards Clinton.
However, Clinton’s campaign proved that women do belong in politics and despite the eventual defeat, her legacy as the first woman to receive a presidential nomination from a major U.S. party and her successes were shown as she amassed a sizable lead in the popular vote.
Research has suggested that the main reason for a lack of supply, isn’t to do with the daunting campaign trail, but instead that women are less likely to run for office due to doubts in their own qualifications.
This election has increased awareness for the role women can play throughout politics, non-profit group She Should Run have seen more than 5,100 women sign up to their incubator programme, which helps them learn about running for office and connects like-minded people.
Has Trump’s victory encouraged women to seek success?
Trump’s victory was not a collective for women across America, with a sudden resurgence of women interested in running for office. This election may have been the encouragement female candidates needed to try and make changes from inside and with statistics showing that women win at the same rate men do, the political landscape could become a more equal playing field in regards to gender equality.
One inspired future candidate contemplating running at a county government level was quoted saying:
“If we don't make the decision to take these risks now, then how do we tell other women and girls that they should make the leap, too?”
Hilary’s defeat leaves behind a legacy that has inspired women across the US to become more involved with politics. While the lack of gender diversity throughout American politics probably won’t change in just a single term, a candidate pool that promotes it will continue to inspire.
Certain industries suffer from a lack of women in executive roles and as HR professionals seek to diversify the work place, women around world can look at the election as proof that they belong in the upper echelons of all industries.
However, there are other global role models that prove the political glass ceiling is being smashed. Theresa May became the second female Prime Minister, Angela Merkel has made herself one of the most renowned European politicians and countries like Chile, Liberia and South Korea all now have female leaders. Meanwhile female leadership continues to grow in global businesses, the chief executives at PepsiCo, Youtube and IBM are all women.
HR professionals can build on these successes to create a more diverse business. By using these examples, the promotion of equality can be built upon and tackling unconscious and conscious bias during the recruitment process can help create an environment for both men and women to thrive.
