The Diversity Institute, the Future Skills Centre, and the I.H. Asper School of Business partnered to publish the Bridging the Gender Gap: Skills for the Advancement of Women Report. The research study aimed to understand the lived experiences of some of Canada’s most senior executive women, and their perspectives on skills, enablers and barriers to women’s advancement to senior leadership in corporate Canada. In-depth interviews with 50 senior executive and C-suite women were conducted. These leaders represented diverse industries and backgrounds from across Canada. The report highlights recommendations for change on societal, organizational and individual levels. 

Five main findings from the report:

• Barriers to advancement: The women identified being different, unspoken rules, conformity culture and caregiving responsibilities as major barriers to advancing to senior leadership positions.
• Gender pay inequities: Results indicate that women and men experience gender-based differences in compensation, including at the executive level. Challenges remain even to identify these compensation inequities. Issues relating to organizational culture and entrenched systems make these struggles worse.
• Enablers to advancement: The most discussed enabler to success was the presence of effective sponsors and supportive networks, including supportive men as mentors and allies who helped women make critical connections for advancement. The interviewees also indicated that having more women in senior leadership was helping to shift corporate culture.
• Career advancement: The discussion of key skills that assist in career advancement and how to acquire them revolves around four themes: leadership skills and development focused on advanced social and emotional skills, education and training that highlights the importance of credentials, and coaching to get individualized advice and mentorship.
• Pushing through the glass ceiling: The report summarizes approaches that the women took to break the glass ceiling. Earlier in their careers, women accepted opportunities that were given to them, created their own opportunities and chose opportunities strategically inside or outside their organization. In some cases, they pushed through the glass ceiling through sacrifice, endurance and mental fortitude, or they switched to another company to move up in the hierarchy there.

The study concludes with concrete recommendations for action. For further information about the study and recommendations, click here.

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