On appointment to the Diversity & Inclusion Committee, each committee member was required to run three focus groups within their company to gather information on the experiences and views of women and men currently working in the property industry. The purpose of this qualitative research was to record the current state of diversity in the industry to set a benchmark from which to work.
The respondents were selected based on three groups; senior women in leadership roles, high performing woman in early and mid-level management positions who had leadership aspirations, and senior male leaders. In total, 28 focus groups were held with 242 individual participants across all three groups. Participants represented a cross-section of the property industry including listed property companies, agents, engineers and lawyers.
Key barriers and issues identified included:
A career of two halves
Respondents cited that a woman’s career is often “split into two halves” (pre-children and post-children) rather than a single career with an interlude. It is this perception that hinders women’s ability to progress their careers at the same level and degree as their male counterparts.
Industry stereotyping
You can’t be what you can’t see. As there are fewer women in the industry, people sometimes mistakenly assume that high-ranking female property professionals are the wife of a male employee or an administrator.
Box-ticking
Participants from various organisations strongly felt that company policies and procedures that promote gender diversity often only act as a box-ticking exercise.
Suggested solutions were:
Flexible and meritocratic workplaces
All of the organisations interviewed suggested the option of flexible working hours for both men women in leadership, with a shift of focus towards productivity and output of work, rather than the number of hours spent physically in the office. This needs to be supported by good IT, sensible meeting times, limited expectations outside agreed working hours and realistic job-sizing.
Support networks
Offering of mentorship, leadership programmes and support networks for women at any stage in their careers was seen as valuable. Woman should be encouraged to connect with specialist industry groups and build their networks.
Championing future leaders
Changes in the approach towards recruitment, promotions and reward incentives, including actively engaging potential leaders would alleviate inequality. Identifying and investing in high-performing women with the capacity and inclination to lead, then equipping them with the skills, training, and confidence to do so would help to drive change.
A genuine culture of inclusion
Changing the culture and working conditions to help women thrive; both to be more genuinely family-friendly and to encourage women to strive for higher career paths.
The results are a clear indication that the property industry is one of many industries that has yet to create an environment where women thrive. While disappointing, the results are merely a qualitative starting point; the task of Property Council’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee is to support reversing the rend to promote a more inclusive industry that attracts and retains the best talent.
From here, further quantitative research will be commissioned, targets set, and a plan of action created. While change will take time, Property Council are committed to leading this evolution and supporting our members in any way we can.
