In the UK girls outperform boys in education, but despite this, many women still end up in lower-skilled, lower-paid jobs and this is one of the key reasons for the gender gap in business today.
The Gender Gap is not going away any time soon.
The shocking fact is that it will take 202 years to close the global pay gap between men and women according to the World Economic Forum.
To accelerate the pace, we need to tackle the Gender Gap at its root cause and mobilise the next generation of female talent.
Today’s world is complex for girls. Anxiety levels are at a high, confidence and resilience are key issues and despite a leap in equality and diversity initiatives, girls still believe that companies prefer to employ men over women and that many jobs simply aren’t for them.
We were shocked to discover at the beginning of one of our Modern Muse events last year, that only 7% of the girls (aged 13-16) believed they could be a leader. Fortunately, perceptions do change and after a session of networking, inspiration and skill building the percentage leapt to 75%. This was achieved in just one day.
Women with childhood leadership experience are more likely than those without that experience to be senior leaders today.
This was uncovered in KPMG’s Women in Leadership study which also sited that the impact of early positive role models is also seen in women during their adult years. Those who had positive role models growing up are twice as likely to feel confident today (50% vs. 25%) compared to those who did not have positive role models.
These are the reasons why we are driving a movement to shift perceptions and elevate aspirations.
The Modern Muse Movement is all about inspiring girls to consider a broad range of careers and equipping them with the skills and confidence, to pursue leadership positions early on.
The movement is led by girls (aged 13-18) who steer our focus and inspire other girls to get involved.
Four key issues that prevent girls from choosing non-stereotypical careers.
Girls have told us that they believe the issues are a lack of:
• Self-belief and confidence – there’s also a fear of being judged
• Real female role models
• Mentors, guidance and peer support
• Knowledge and insights of opportunity
These issues are our focus and we are driving a movement where:
• Muses (female role models) inspire
• Companies open hearts and minds
• Girls get the answers, support and opportunities they need to close the gap.
We’re engaging hundreds of women, men and organisations to be part of the movement. Over the next decade and beyond, we are set to be the leading vehicle that’s demonstrating to girls that, whatever their social and educational backgrounds, confidence, resilience and career ambitions can be achieved.
We are galvanising individuals and companies in the retail sector.
Retail is the largest private sector employer in the UK and as the BRC’s Rethink Retail campaign says, ‘whether you want to work with people, data or technology, there is a career for you’. Girls need to be aware of the multitude of career opportunities available.
Join us and together we will demonstrate how ordinary backgrounds can lead to extraordinary achievements; how adversity can spur you to reach your goals and how different routes and careers lead to fulfilling dreams.
Please follow us on Instagram @modernmuseorg to get a flavour of what we do and if you would like to find out more contact us at info@modernmuse.org.
Donna Robertson, Director at Modern Muse
To find out more about careers in retail please visit www.rethinkretail.org.uk.