The UK has seen its credentials as a pacesetter in equal alternatives dented in current years, with a outstanding examine discovering that its illustration of women in work has declined quick than any main financial system since 2020. Amy Speake, CEO of Holmes Noble, explains what consulting companies can do to stop additional “haemorrhaging senior feminine expertise”.
Implausible information that the UK is at present celebrating 43% feminine board illustration in the FTSE 350. Nonetheless, a extra sobering actuality is rising for 2026. In accordance with the newest PwC Women in Work Index, the UK has fallen to 18th in the OECD nations rating, down from 10th in 2020. That’s its lowest rating in over a decade, marking the steepest post-pandemic decline of any main financial system.
It’s a warning sign. Whereas quota-chasing at board stage is clearly working, the underlying expertise engine is stalling. And from my vantage level in government search, I can let you know precisely why: consulting and advisory companies have mastered policy-led range and inclusion, however they’ve largely ignored a essential cultural bias that’s haemorrhaging senior feminine expertise. I name it the ‘government double normal’.
The unstated benefit
Right here’s what I observe repeatedly in partner-track conversations: a male chief with a stay-at-home partner is seen as ‘strategically supported’. His home preparations are seen as a aggressive benefit, liberating him to be ‘always-on’ for purchasers. But a feminine chief in an an identical state of affairs? She’s a social anomaly. Eyebrows increase. Questions emerge about her priorities, her dedication, even her authenticity as a working mom.
We’ve constructed a complete skilled infrastructure round one mannequin of government success – and it’s solely male. The consequence? We’re shedding distinctive feminine expertise not as a result of they will’t do the work, however as a result of they refuse to carry out a model of management that requires them to apologise for the very assist constructions their male friends take as a right.
The hole metric downside
The boardroom numbers look spectacular till you look at what’s taking place additional down the pipeline. The UK’s 7.8% labour power participation hole displays challenges throughout your complete feminine workforce, however these boundaries intensify exponentially as women climb in the direction of partnership. In consulting particularly, the place shopper service fashions collide with outdated assumptions about home assist, the attrition turns into acute.
I’m watching senior women decide out of partner-track roles not as a result of they lack ambition, however as a result of they’ve carried out the maths. They see male colleagues with full home assist techniques being rewarded for his or her dedication, whereas women in equal conditions face refined (and generally not-so-subtle) questions on their dedication. The message is evident: your assist construction is just legit if you happen to’re male.
For this reason focusing solely on boardroom illustration masks the actual downside. We’re celebrating range on the high whereas the expertise pipeline beneath is structurally unsound. You’ll be able to’t repair a leaking pipeline by solely measuring what comes out the top.
Past flexibility theatre
Most companies have responded to this problem with flexibility initiatives. They’re providing hybrid working, part-time partnerships, compressed hours. These are useful, however they’re additionally performative in the event that they don’t deal with the underlying cultural assumption: {that a} high-performing government’s residence life ought to look a sure means.
Actual progress requires recognising home bandwidth as a legit enterprise asset, no matter who holds it. When a male companion’s partner manages the house entrance, that’s strategic planning. When a feminine companion has the identical association, it needs to be equally unremarkable. Till we normalise non-traditional home assist as a driver of government output – for everybody – we’re merely rearranging deck chairs.
2026: Coverage vs actuality
This April, the Employment Rights Act introduces necessary Equality Motion Plans for big employers. On paper, this could drive change. In observe, these plans will stay performative except companies are keen to dismantle the stereotype of what government success ‘ought to’ appear to be.
The query consulting leaders should ask themselves is uncomfortable however important: are we genuinely dedicated to retaining senior feminine expertise, or are we dedicated to retaining senior feminine expertise who carry out management precisely as males do? As a result of proper now, the info suggests the latter. And it’s costing us.
Shedding our aggressive edge
On the UK’s present fee of progress, it would take 33 years to shut the gender pay hole. Consulting companies that proceed to function on outdated assumptions about government home preparations will discover themselves more and more unable to compete for the perfect expertise.
The answer shouldn’t be difficult: look at your cultural assumptions about what ‘supported’ management seems like. Ask why a male companion with a stay-at-home partner is well known whereas a feminine companion in the identical state of affairs is questioned. And recognise that till you possibly can reply that query actually, your Equality Motion Plan is simply costly paperwork.
Different nations are constructing their expertise pipelines, so why can’t we? In accordance with the PwC Women in Work Index, Iceland, New Zealand, and Luxembourg set the benchmark for gender-balanced workplaces. With out daring motion, the UK dangers falling additional behind.
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