BAE Systems director of Land and Integrated Systems Kim Scott told a forum on gender equity that women comprise just 2% of its engineering staff, but 65% of its HR department.
"It's often termed the 'pink ghettos', where women tend to congregate," Scott told the forum, according to a reports.
"Until you get women in operational positions, I don't think you're going to see a significant change in some of those boards."
Scott added: "Focus on the male population as much as the female population to change it."
Dr Diann Rodgers-Healy, executive director of the Australian Centre for Leadership for Women, agrees with Scott's commentary on women, adding that the onus is on the senior echelon of a business to embrace the skills of people in traditional fields.
"What he's pointing to is right, in that women in non-traditional areas such as engineering and finance are favoured," Rodgers-Healy says.
"But that shouldn't be the case. Regardless of your background, you need equal opportunity [to progress]," she says.
Labelling the rules for board appointment as "elitist", Rodgers-Healy says there is "ample evidence that diverse companies with equal number of women in boards, or near equal numbers, contribute to a whole range of economic results, including higher morale, better decision-making and bettter productivity."
Increasing female board numbers also better represents a company's workforce and customer base, Rodgers-Healy adds.
Related Items :
