Gender equality often gets worse as you move up the hierarchy of a company, suggesting that many issues may lie in promotion and retention as opposed to hiring. The gender proportionality principle can be used to help remedy this, Harvard Business Review reported Nov. 30.
The principle states that any level of an organization should aim to reach the gender balance of the level directly below. For instance, if female managers make up 35 percent and entry-level women make up 49 percent, the company should set a goal of getting to 49 percent female managers within an agreed time frame.
Managers and heads can be presented with the gender breakdown of those going up for a promotion and given an explicit expectation of how their decision-making should allow the demographics to reflect the level below them. They can also then be asked to comply or explain their decision-making process if their choices deviate from the principle, keeping managers accountable.
The principle can be implemented simply and easily across levels and departments. It can help demystify promotion and equity processes and encourage diversification of the organization.