ICAS ICAS logo

Quicklinks

  1. About Us

    Find out about who we are and what we do here at ICAS.

  2. Find a CA

    Search our directory of individual CAs and Member organisations by name, location and professional criteria.

  3. CA Magazine

    View the latest issues of the dedicated magazine for ICAS Chartered Accountants.

  4. Contact Us

    Get in touch with ICAS by phone, email or post, with dedicated contacts for Members, Students and firms.

Login
  • Annual renewal
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Find a CA
  1. About us
    1. Governance
  2. Members
    1. Become a member
    2. Newly qualified
    3. Manage my membership
    4. Benefits of membership
    5. Careers support
    6. Mentoring
    7. CA Wellbeing
    8. More for Members
    9. Area networks
    10. International communities
    11. Get involved
    12. Top Young CAs
    13. Career breaks
    14. ICAS podcast
    15. Newly admitted members 2022
    16. Newly admitted members 2023
  3. CA Students
    1. Student information
    2. Student resources
    3. Learning requirements
    4. Learning updates
    5. Learning blog
    6. Totum Pro | Student discount card
    7. CA Student wellbeing
  4. Become a CA
    1. How to become a CA
    2. Routes to becoming a CA
    3. CA Stories
    4. Find a training agreement
    5. Why become a CA
    6. Qualification information
    7. University exemptions
  5. Employers
    1. Become an Authorised Training Office
    2. Resources for Authorised Training Offices
    3. Professional entry
    4. Apprenticeships
  6. Find a CA
  7. ICAS events
    1. CA Summit
  8. CA magazine
  9. Insight
    1. Finance + Trust
    2. Finance + Technology
    3. Finance + EDI
    4. Finance + Mental Fitness
    5. Finance + Leadership
    6. Finance + Sustainability
  10. Professional resources
    1. Anti-money laundering
    2. Audit and assurance
    3. Brexit
    4. Business and governance
    5. Charities
    6. Coronavirus
    7. Corporate and financial reporting
    8. Cyber security
    9. Ethics
    10. Insolvency
    11. ICAS Research
    12. Pensions
    13. Practice
    14. Public sector
    15. Sustainability
    16. Tax
  11. CPD - professional development
    1. CPD courses and qualifications
    2. CPD news and updates
    3. CPD support and advice
  12. Regulation
    1. Complaints and sanctions
    2. Regulatory authorisations
    3. Guidance and help sheets
    4. Regulatory monitoring
  13. CA jobs
    1. CA jobs partner: Rutherford Cross
    2. Resources for your job search
    3. Advertise with CA jobs
    4. Hays | A Trusted ICAS CA Jobs Partner
    5. Azets | What's your ambition?
  14. Work at ICAS
    1. Business centres
    2. Meet our team
    3. Benefits
    4. Vacancies
    5. Imagine your career at ICAS
  15. Contact us
    1. Technical and regulation queries
    2. ICAS logo request

Supporting women to reach new heights in their profession

Women in business
  • LinkedIn (opens new window)
  • Twitter (opens new window)
By Ellen Arnison

16 September 2016

Main points

  • There are practical steps that can be taken to address equality.
  • Women benefit hugely from support from female colleagues.
  • Gaps in skills and confidence can be addressed by training.

"There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t support other women," claimed former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, in a 2006 speech to the WNBA. The famous phrase has made it into popular culture and across keynote speeches ever since - but what does supporting women really mean, and why is it important?

At the start of a working life, your career stretches before you, hopefully travelling in an upwards progression. However, the reality is that life is not linear and there will be plenty of obstacles thrown your way.  

Perhaps it’s better to think of a career as a climbing frame or jungle gym, giving a range of routes to the place you want to be. Navigating your career to a place on your terms takes time, support, and a dollop of useful advice, and Madeline knows the value of this support in male-dominated professions.  

What she may have wrong, however, is the suggestion that the responsibility for support should solely fall on other women, rather than as a concerted effort regardless of gender. It is everyone's responsibility to examine and challenge attitudes and assess how this contributes to the glass ceilings. 

Myths and methods

Don't believe in Queen Bee Syndrome

Queen bee syndrome is the idea that professional women who have reached the top will keep other women out because they pose a threat (with a special place already reserved for them, according to Madeline!). 

This syndrome is, of course, nonsense and was once again shown to be a myth in a recent study by researchers at Columbia Business School in New York. The new study looked at management teams in 1,500 companies over 20 years and contradicts a 1973 study that suggested women in authority were more critical of female subordinates.

Instead, researchers found that the lack of women in top roles is down to male determination to retain control, and there was an expectation that 'token women' would be acceptable at board level. They discovered that if a woman was appointed as a chief executive, then other women were more likely to achieve senior roles. 

Consider mentoring and make your connections genuine

“The strongest relationships spring out of a real and often earned connection felt by both sides,” said Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer of Facebook and founder of the Lean In movement.

Mentoring is, quite rightly, an important feature of personal development. It’s a way of seeking advice and guidance and is of benefit both to mentee and mentor. A mentoring relationship need not be time-consuming or structured. A quick chat and a few words of experience might make all the difference – especially when they come with warmth and a genuine desire to offer a leg-up.

Network for success

Whether you believe author Harvey Coleman’s theory that what gets you promoted is only 10% down to performance; networking is vital to a thriving modern career. The writer and management consultant's school of thought considers that being good at your job is not enough to ensure advancement.

Instead, Harvey believes that getting ahead - especially in the corporate world - is 60% exposure and 30% image. Whether your networking is an informal get-together or a structured women’s business group, it’s a way of learning from other women and creating a good impression.

Share the lessons and advice

Let other women know what you’ve learned, especially if you did it the hard way. It can be difficult to admit to being fallible, but the lessons you learn in the process could be invaluable for others. It also normalises the notion of errors as part of the improvement process.

Learn how to be a leader

Give women the best chance to reach their potential and to fulfill their ambition by ensuring appropriate training, support and coaching will be available.

Female leadership in 2017

We’re looking to run a programme throughout the UK for all female CAs on becoming a leader, or developing existing skills – if you’d like to take part please let us know your preferred city by emailing us at pd@icas.com

2022-11-mitigo 2022-11-mitigo
ICAS logo

Footer links

  • Contact us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Modern slavery statement
  • Privacy notice
  • CA magazine

Connect with ICAS

  • Facebook (opens new window) Facebook Icon
  • Twitter (opens new window) Twitter Icon
  • LinkedIn (opens new window) LinkedIn Icon
  • Instagram (opens new window) Instagram Icon

ICAS is a member of the following bodies

  • Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies (opens new window) Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies logo
  • Chartered Accountants Worldwide (opens new window) Chartered Accountants Worldwide logo
  • Global Accounting Alliance (opens new window) Global Accounting Alliance
  • International Federation of Accountants (opens new window) IFAC
  • Access Accountancy (opens new window) Access Acountancy

Charities

  • ICAS Foundation (opens new window) ICAS Foundation
  • SCABA (opens new window) scaba

Accreditations

  • ISO 9001 - RGB (opens new window)
© ICAS 2022

The mark and designation “CA” is a registered trade mark of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS), and is available for use in the UK and EU only to members of ICAS. If you are not a member of ICAS, you should not use the “CA” mark and designation in the UK or EU in relation to accountancy, tax or insolvency services. The mark and designation “Chartered Accountant” is a registered trade mark of ICAS, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales and Chartered Accountants Ireland. If you are not a member of one of these organisations, you should not use the “Chartered Accountant” mark and designation in the UK or EU in relation to these services. Further restrictions on the use of these marks also apply where you are a member.

ICAS logo

Our cookie policy

ICAS.com uses cookies which are essential for our website to work. We would also like to use analytical cookies to help us improve our website and your user experience. Any data collected is anonymised. Please have a look at the further information in our cookie policy and confirm if you are happy for us to use analytical cookies: