Thankfully, the industry has changed vastly over the past decade. And as a leader, I have noticed more of my counterparts are female and far less frequently do I find myself as the only women "at the business table". This is good news for the industry and great news for future generations. But there is no room for complacency, and there are barriers that still stand in the way of female progression.
Women are the backbone of the travel industry, yet there is still a stark imbalance at board level. There seems to be a sticky middle management obstacle that is not yet being addressed in many organisations. We must find a way to defeat this and ensure gender diversity at senior level is the norm and not the exception.
Imposter syndrome and having a family are common recurring challenges women in business face. It’s little wonder women are more likely to experience imposter syndrome when narratives such as “fake it ’til you make it” seem to litter the motivational rhetoric aimed at women. We need more initiatives to instil genuine confidence among young women such as comprehensive mentoring programmes.
As for family life, at Barrhead Travel, I believe having a family is an asset in business. Sadly, almost half of women in the UK feel having children hinders their progression opportunities at work. There is no place for this in the modern workplace, and businesses must expedite flexible working opportunities and family-friendly policies. Most importantly, we need to hear more commentary from working women with families, and listen and learn from their experiences.
As a working mother myself, I have endured the pain of missing out on key milestones. There are additional pressures too on women when juggling family and work commitments. From these personal experiences, I hope to drive change. I do not want any of my team to feel family doesn’t come first. Women should not have to choose between raising a family and enjoying a successful professional career.
I am fortunate to be surrounded by incredibly strong women at Barrhead Travel where our senior leadership team is more than 70% female. The key to our success is not parachuting in female talent from outside, but to grow and nurture talent from within – our own people.
Coincidentally, this week is also Scottish Apprenticeship Week. My hope is the young ambitious women starting their careers today will know the glass ceiling is a thing of the past and that progression is available to all, irrespective of background, gender, race, beliefs or education. As leaders, we have a duty to the next generation to demand better.
Jacqueline Dobson is president of Scottish independent agency chain Barrhead Travel.
