Historical systemic barriers, including the lack of voting and banking rights for women, as well as cultural narratives, such as women holding responsibility as the primary caregiver, are at the root of inequity when it comes to women in leadership roles, said Sandra Medrano, social impact program manager at Meta, Menlo Park, California. Racial inequity added on top of these issues puts women of color even further behind, she said.
Medrano previously worked at FSG, a nonprofit consulting firm that partners with foundations and corporations to create equitable change. Medrano continues to do social impact work at Meta, the parent company of Facebook, and focuses on equity across a variety of domains, including health, racial and gender equity.
Through the years, there have been small, but consistent gains in women representation in the workforce across a variety of industries, Medrano said. But the pandemic has thrown a wrench in this progress because women left the workforce at a much higher rate than men, and it “highlighted all of the ways in which our broader system doesn't support working women or families with two parents who are also working professionals,” she said.
“I think as a woman myself, as a woman of color, it’s very hard to make that decision and leave the workforce,” Medrano said. “But women who were younger and working mothers had other responsibilities to care give because of these old narratives and stereotypes about how we see the role of women in society.”
Along with limited support, in industries such as retail, the pandemic also affected frontline workers with burnout, and benefits that were previously seen as the “cherry on top” should now be the norm, said Medrano. Examples include caregiving support, mental-health support, consistent and rigorous training, and mentorship.
The Importance of Mentorship
Another factor that prevents the 33% of women in entry-level roles from moving up is that they are not given the same tools to get there as men, said Kelly Primus, CEO of Leading Now, a diversity and inclusion consulting firm based in Millis, Massachusetts. Men are chosen more often than women due to difference in skillsets.
Women and men are mentored differently, said Primus. Women are taught to show up, and men are educated on how to make business-based decisions.“When [executives] look for future talent, people to move up in the organization, the most important thing is business knowledge, capabilities and demonstrating those skillsets,” said Primus. “But if women aren’t being mentored on those things, they don’t even know they’re important.”
Leading Now encourages managers to break that pattern and mentor women and men the same way, give women opportunities to shadow the manager in business meetings and help them recognize how decisions are made.
Formalizing mentorship is an action companies can take that “incentivizes people to change behavior when there’s real tangible accountabilities behind it,” Medrano said. Formalizing it helps companies identify challenges and emphasize what’s successful.
“I would suggest companies should tie commitments around inclusivity, promoting women and broader equity initiatives to our performance evaluation of managers,” she said.
Mentorship includes connecting women early on in their career with senior level individuals and having conversations about personal and professional goals. It also helps women build social capital and have access to a wider network of professionals.
“What women or women of color don’t have access to is people who champion us, who say our name in rooms where we’re not there, who talk about our skills and really put a light on our achievements,” Medrano said.
Putting those goals in writing is just as important, she adds. When a company publicly reports its commitments through DEI or ESG reporting, it presents opportunity, said Medrano. Dedication to social change is a large influencer when consumers decide where to spend their money.
Plans of Action
- Offer caregiving support, mental-health support, consistent training and mentorship as standard benefits
- Formalize mentorship programs
- Mentor women and men the same way, giving everyone education on the business
- Connect younger women with senior-level leaders
- Go public with DEI efforts
C-Store Women’s Event
CSP will host its inaugural C-Store Women’s (CSW) Event Nov. 8 to 10 in Napa Valley, California. The Winsight-powered conference is designed with the intent to empower women and teach the convenience-store industry action steps in shifting the gender gap in c-store leadership. It will include career-development education, problem-solving strategies and networking. The three-day event is the kickoff for a program of continuous support, with eight-person teams that meet for discussions throughout the year.
Education sessions include presentations on moving from middle to senior level positions, how to identify differences in tactical and strategic relationships and more. Special guests include experts from Leading Now, a research and consulting firm that helps reach inclusive talent and culture goals.
To attend CSW, two people from an organization must commit to attend—one leader and one upcoming manager star—and one person must be a woman. Request an invitation on the CSW website, cstorewomen.com.