Women leadership in emerging markets: The talent is hidden in plain sight

I have published a number of articles over the years about gender parity and women in leadership. Naturally, my commentary has often looked at this issue through the eyes of a woman living in a mature market economy. While gender discrimination comes in many shapes, the issues preoccupying us in developed countries can seem a little self-indulgent when compared to what some women deal with in other parts of the world. The World Economic Forum’s 2016 Gender Gap Report confirms this when it finds the largest gaps for women in income, education and career progress in developing countries [1].

When it comes to thinking about gender inequality in the developing world, naturally the first focus needs to be on women at the lower end of the economic spectrum. Take the example of female laborers in the garment industry, or assembly line workers in factories. Entering the workforce even in a low-paying job can make a big difference in life outcomes for women, their families and communities, with the gains they make multiplying over several generations. This has been highlighted especially by the United Nations for nearly two decades, driven initially via its Millennium and more recently via the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The fifth SDG highlights the importance of gender equality and the need to end discrimination against women. Both sets of goals have recognized that gender equality is not only a fundamental human right but also the foundation for a prosperous and sustainable economy and society.

But there is a high level of diversity in the living and working conditions of women in emerging markets and inequality also exists at the other end of the spectrum with female white-collar professionals in the developing world. For example, women in China are now half of the educated workforce, but play a disproportionately small role in management and seem to be held back by outdated ideas and systems.

This situation is not unique to the business world. It is no different in governments across emerging markets – as highlighted by EY’s fourth annual Women in Leadership Index – the foremost study of women in senior public service leadership roles across the G20 and EU. While the study’s overall findings underscore that women remain significantly underrepresented across key government positions around the world, including the developed world – the picture is even grimmer for women in emerging markets.

In this year’s Index we see the usual bright spots but there has been next to no progress in increasing the number of women in government leadership positions across most emerging markets.

Turkey, for example, has just 8.8% women senior civil servants, and has steadily lost more since its ‘high point’ in 2013, when 13.6% of women represented senior managers. South Korea fares even worse. It had 8.6% women in the senior grades in 2013 whereas this figure now sits at just 4.7%. In China, the percentage of women in leadership roles has improved only marginally over the last four years from 11.5% in 2013 to 12.6% in 2017. And while the 1.3% figure of women Saudi Arabia represents some level of progress, it wasn’t until 2015 that women were permitted to take senior civil service jobs there.

The bright spots are especially in Africa. Take Rwanda for example. While the country is not examined in the Index, its government is seen as a model for gender parity around the world, with over 60% of women in its parliament. Much of this success is owed to a 2003 national law requiring at least 30% of parliamentary seats to be held by women. South Africa has been one of the most consistent performing countries in the EY Index. Taking a page out of Rwanda’s book, South Africa passed a similar law in 2014 which sets a gradual target of 50% representation of women in the public sector. The country has ranked third in the Index for several years and in 2017, it registered 41% women in senior public sector leadership roles.

Make no mistake though, while some countries have demonstrated progress, many others have stalled and women aren’t facing a glass ceiling, but rather a glass floor. A prime example is education. Most governments realized years ago that education reduces economic inequality by enhancing women’s employment and productivity. Lack of access was long held up as a barrier to clearing the gender gap. However, today in many countries access is no longer the issue it used to be. In fact, women in many emerging markets are flooding into universities and graduate schools now. They represent 60% of college graduates in Brazil, 47% in China, and 57% of enrolled students in Russia. And of course, in the Middle East more women than men are enrolled in university in nearly two thirds of the region’s countries, a fact that has been consistent over the years according to United Nations data.

These figures represent more than just a tiny elite: between 15% and 25% of young women in these countries are now college-educated – a substantial number. In these countries, the issue isn’t any longer access to education and gaining a degree. Today, these women are bursting with a desire to actually use their education.  

Educated women around the world are ambitious, but the drive and aspiration among women in emerging markets is off the charts. A recent survey from the Center for Work-Life Policy shows that 85% of female college graduates in India and 65% in China consider themselves to be very ambitious, compared to only 36% of women in the United States. In India, 86% of college-educated women aspire to pursue senior level leadership positions across all sectors, closely followed by their counterparts in Brazil (80%) and China (76%).

So how can developing countries take the next step and put qualified women into fulfilling careers and on the path towards gender parity? Taking the lead from the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals would be a good start. Improving access to technology, supporting community projects, and continuing to improve education are all areas that need to be addressed and supported by country leaders. Any one of these will deliver progress and ensure that women are not only receiving the career opportunities they want, but also into the leadership roles that will improve economic and social development.

Technology plays an ever more important role in our future business world and societies, no matter where you live. In emerging markets, tackling gender inequality needs to now include a focus on technology access. A number of studies suggest that the developing world will experience a sales boom of smart phones over the next decade. Access to this kind of technology presents opportunities for women to participate in education and health care or become entrepreneurs and establish new businesses. Importantly, it can give women far greater control over their own future. We also need more women to pursue STEM careers. All countries need to recognize this and encourage young women to pursue technology education and careers, no matter where in the world they live. To make technology fields accessible to women, we need to spark girls' imaginations early, encourage young women to pursue their passions via technology and empower graduates to turn ideas into business opportunities.

Functioning communities can be incubators of positive change and in most countries women are key contributors to making communities work better. Governments and civil societies should support community education programs, centers for community development and social activities that empower women and help to bridge the gender gap. This is especially important with the ticking time bomb of eldercare looming. While the lack of childcare is already a barrier to women pursuing careers, the lack of eldercare has the potential to blow up careers just as women reach the peak of their potential. According to a recent study by World Finance Review, 81% of women in emerging markets have duties on the eldercare front. In China for example, 95% of college-educated Chinese women professionals already have eldercare responsibilities, compelling them to relocate to be closer to aging parents, take a less stimulating job to pay for eldercare expenses, or even drop out of the workforce entirely. Government policies need to ensure that women are able to be secure in the careers of their choice while also ensuring that the elderly are taken care of.

Finally, diversity is important in all parts of the world. As technology changes our world and drives the need for innovation, the participation of women in all aspects of corporate, government and civil society life is more important than ever. As we tackle huge challenges affecting all our lives, we need a continuous process of disagreement, reconciliation and consolidation to get better ideas and solutions. This can only come from diversity and is equally relevant if you work in Silicon Valley on the latest AI development or on a community empowerment project in Sub-Saharan Africa. There is a wealth of untapped talent and brainpower among women in emerging markets. The more this can be unleashed, the better for their communities, countries and the world.

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The views reflected in this article are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms.

For more insights, please visit www.uschischreiber.com and follow me on Twitter: @UschiSchreiber.

• [1] The United Nations has no formal definition of developing countries, but still uses the term for monitoring purposes and classifies as many as 159 countries as developing. Under the UN’s current classification, all of Europe and Northern America along with Japan, Australia and New Zealand are classified as developed regions, and all other regions are developing. The UN maintains a list of “Least Developed Countries” which are defined by accounting for GNI per capita as well as measures of human capital and economic vulnerability. Source: World Bank.