Women in Defence - Whitetree's Commitment to Empowering Female Talent

It's no secret that women are the minority in the Defence sector. Whitetree recognises that working in a male-dominated industry has its difficulties, which is why we are intent on driving change to promote diversity and inclusion within not only Whitetree, but also the Defence sector. Whitetree is committed to ensuring we create equal opportunities for all, addressing bias in the workplace, and enhancing the skillsets of our managers to ensure they are able to detect and call out gender bias in the workplace.

What are the Daily Obstacles that Women Working in Defence Face?

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Women remain underrepresented in the UK's Defence industry, with recent statistics indicating that they make up on average 24% of all workers, with around 20% of women being in management roles. ?

Just one of the many daily obstacles Women in Defence face is unconscious bias. Unconscious bias is defined as 'a term that describes the associations we hold, outside our conscious awareness and control'. Unconscious bias could mean a person views another better off (because they believe they are alike), or worse off (because that person is different to them). This means a person could make a judgement on another influenced by false beliefs or assumptions, and it's this that women in Defence often face. Whilst there is no intended malice in these interactions (it is an unconscious bias after all), it can have a huge impact in regards to women progressing in their careers and it's something that needs to be addressed and fixed. ? ?

How do we Attract More Female Talent?? ?

Whitetree are extremely proud to be guiding the way for change, with women representing 25.5% of our workforce and with a strategy to increase this percentage further. Currently, approximately 1 in 4 applicants for Whitetree jobs are female. Whilst this is a great start, we aim to increase that figure to be able to showcase the fantastic female talent that Defence has to offer.? ?

An important tool that can be used to attract more female talent is the TotalJobs Gender Bias Checker Gender Bias Decoder | Totaljobs . This tool allows users to identify gender-based language in job adverts, and offers alternative, gender-neutral language suggestions to help create more inclusive job adverts. (After finishing this article, I input it into the TotalJobs checker and found I had used 13 male-coded words compared to 6 female-coded words! It goes to show how easily it can be accidently done. I have since corrected my language and you should find that this article is split perfectly down the middle in regards to female and male-coded words)!? ?

Research has shown that using gendered language can deter potential applicants, particularly women. Using male-coded language in job-adverts can significantly impact the hiring process, often unconsciously favouring male candidates. Using the TotalJobs Gender Bias Decoder is a fantastic way to stop this from happening and ensure that the hiring process is fair for all applicants.? ?

A global insurance company, Zurich, is a fantastic example of how making small changes can have a huge impact. Zurich rewrote their job adverts with a focus on attracting more female applicants. From the offset they offered part-time, job-share, or flexible working options, as well as using gender-neutral language. This resulted in them seeing an enormous 16.4% increase in female applicants, with a 19.3% increase in women applying for senior roles.? ?

"If you signal to women that they are wanted, they will come." - The Women in Defence Charter

How Have Whitetree Gone About Tackling These Challenges?

The Women in Defence Charter is one of the many ways in which Whitetree are showing their support to create an inclusive working environment. By signing to the charter, Whitetree, alongside over 100 other companies (you can see who has signed up here: Home ( womenindefenceuk.com/charter) ) have pledged to continue its ongoing efforts to ensure that its female employees have the opportunities to succeed in their careers equally as much as their male colleagues.? ?

To tackle the issue of unconscious bias, Whitetree provides all employees with the relevant training to ensure they are aware of, and can address hidden biases in the workplace. This training is an important part of Whitetree's commitment to creating a fair, inclusive environment in which everyone has equal chance to succeed and grow.? ?

Our Whitetree Women's Forum is held every three weeks and provides a platform for women to discuss the unique obstacles that we face within the defence sector. It's an opportunity to share experiences, discuss progress, and explore ideas for creating a more inclusive environment, as well as providing support and insight to overcome any obstacles.? ?

By creating a safe space for women to open up to each other about the issues they face, Whitetree are not only empowering their women, they are also providing them with a chance to voice their ideas, issues, and concerns. This allows Whitetree to react to issues that have been raised and implement strategies to fix problems, promoting an inclusive and diverse working environment.? ?

“As a female leader in a traditionally male-dominated sector, I recognise the importance of creating an inclusive environment where all talent, regardless of gender, can thrive. Signing the Women in Defence Charter was a crucial step in our commitment to addressing gender imbalance and unconscious bias within the workplace. At Whitetree, we are dedicated to not only promoting diversity but also actively creating opportunities for women to excel and take on leadership roles. This is about more than just ticking boxes - it's about driving real, impactful change." - Mel Brown, Head of Business Winning at Whitetree

Inspiring Change for a Diverse Future? ?

Whitetree remains fully committed to encouraging a more diverse and inclusive workforce, with clear, measurable goals set by our directors. By 2026, we hope to see women representing 50% of our workforce, alongside 50% of senior leadership roles being held by women. Whilst we appreciate this is a significant goal given the timeframe, by setting our goals so high, we will undoubtably be in a better place than we were before, even if we fall short of them. This would be a huge, exciting leap forward for the Defence industry, and one that we believe we can make happen.? ?

We wish to inspire other companies in the Defence sector to reflect on how they can make changes to empower and retain their female talent. Sometimes even the smallest of changes can make a huge impact and by setting clear, measurable goals, we hope to see an increase in the representation of women in the Defence industry to truly reflect the diversity of talent available.?

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The Talent Acquisition team at Whitetree are aware of the impact we have and the importance of maintaining a fair hiring process for all candidates, regardless of gender or any other protected characteristics. ?

"As a women in Defence I've very often been the one female in the room but with women championing other women, the fantastic uptake in unconscious bias training and some fantastic STEM initiatives in schools its a delight to see more gender diversity in the industry."?- Jessica Tolliday, Principal Consultant and ED&I Ambassador at Whitetree

Join Us!?

If you are ready to find your next exciting opportunity, you can take a look at our live vacancies here: Job Search ( whitetree.co.uk ) or email us at [email protected] to find out more. ?