Women in housing

This housing chief executive, who does not wish to be named, sums up the experience of many women in the housing sector: when high-level female executives walk into meetings, it’s not unusual for them to find that the men present automatically assume that their male colleagues are the ones in charge.

In recent years, public and political attention has focused on the need for equal pay and treatment between men and women. The UK population is now 51% female and in the private sector women make up 30% of managers. But unlike their private sector counterparts, women in housing remain trapped between a glass ceiling and a sticky floor.

Women make up just 15% of first tier council officers – which includes chief officers and directors in housing – and just 11% of housing association chief executives are female (see “On the retreat”, right). In an otherwise forward-thinking and innovative sector, there is now a groundswell of opinion among female staff that radical change is needed to modernise attitudes towards equal opportunities in housing.

It is a decade now since the publication of Getting Women to the Top, a hard-hitting report by the Housing Corporation, the National Housing Federation – then known as the National Federation of Housing Associations – and the Office for Public Management. The 23-page report, published in September 1992, demanded tough action to increase the meagre numbers of women in senior positions in housing. Whereas women made up 79% of the workforce at junior level, “very few women are chief executives or association directors, and women only make up 24% of staff at senior management level”, the report said, urging a reform of the male-dominated working culture. Although the research raised hopes that women would rise up the housing hierarchy, current staffing figures show the glass ceiling has still barely been scratched.

We have to ask why we’re not attracting more women at the top. Is it to do with in-built sexism or is it a failure to comprehend how to make the sector more accessible to women?

JUNE BARNES, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, EAST THAMES HOUSING ASSOCIATION

“It’s just got worse,” says the anonymous chief executive. “The number of women in housing at senior levels does not reflect the community we work for, or the staff at middle levels, or even the population in general.”

Heather Petch is director of the Housing Association Charitable Trust and has worked both in the voluntary sector and the housing sector. Comparing the two, she says: “I’ve been surprised at how male-oriented the housing sector is. It feels less comfortable and open to women.”

Petch is among many senior women in housing to feel this discomfort. And if the figures on the employment of women are stark, then the testimony of those who have suffered at the hands of sexist colleagues is even more disturbing. Discrimination can take many forms.

The culture of sexism
Another leading woman within the housing sector says: “What women face is more subtle than verbal or physical abuse. It’s things like men commenting that hiring a woman’s no good because she’s likely to run off on maternity leave at a moment’s notice, or referring to female colleagues in their 30s and 40s as ‘the girls’.”

Quality candidates must always get there on merit; so we must campaign for change. It is part of a greater chance to enrich the pool of future leaders

BARONESS DEAN, HOUSING CORPORATION CHAIRMAN

At a board meeting a few years ago, a male manager was overheard telling his female superior in surprised tones that her comments had “real gravitas”. It is highly unlikely he would ever have made the same comment to a male counterpart. Although it is the blatant sexual harassment cases that reach the public eye, it could be argued that the more pervasive but more subtly ingrained sexism of such attitudes – where often the perpetrators are not even aware of the offence they cause – is what does the greater damage. These attitudes emerge from a culture of sexism while at the same time confirming that culture. As Equal Opportunities Commission chair Julie Mellor said in January: “We have to challenge old-fashioned assumptions about ‘women’s work’ and ‘men’s work’ to ensure that no one’s options are limited by these unhelpful stereotypes.”

Alongside what some women in the sector call “subtle discrimination”, sexism within housing operates on another, more base level. This usually rears its ugly head at conferences. The events, and in particular the networking that takes place at them, are traditionally male-dominated.

One female executive says: “There’s a macho atmosphere at conferences which can make women feel uncomfortable. A couple of years ago I was at the bar late one evening when a drunk male delegate asked me who I was. I replied and then asked who he was. He suddenly grabbed my wrist, demanding to know why I didn’t realise who he was and asking how could I call myself a chief executive if I didn’t know him?

“His behaviour was aggressive and patronising rather than suggestive, but it made me feel uncomfortable. I wrenched my hand back and left. Since then I’ve steered clear of late-night conference events.”

We have to challenge old-fashioned assumptions about ‘women’s work’ to ensure that no one’s options are limited by unhelpful stereotypes

JULIE MELLOR, EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES COMMISSION CHAIR

Of course, the housing sector isn’t the only one that suffers from sexual discrimination in the jobs market. But many, such as June Barnes, chief executive of the East Thames Housing Association, question why the problem is so severe in housing: “It’s disappointing that there aren’t more women in senior positions. We have to ask why we’re not attracting more women at the top. Is it to do with in-built sexism or is it a failure to comprehend how to make the sector more accessible to women?”

The answer seems to be both; inherent sexism and a lack of action on boosting opportunities for women are equally to blame for the pitiful numbers of women in executive positions. The “hard” technical skills usually associated with male staff are more valued than the “soft” management or personnel experience shared by female staff. Meanwhile, the equal opportunities agenda is dominated by race issues.

Judgmental colleagues
Jennifer Tomlinson, a spokeswoman for the EOC, says: “A large proportion of women work at junior levels and are not moving up to more senior levels. This may be because of the impact of childcare responsibilities on women. Even if they are able to work flexibly by going part-time or working as a job share, they are seen by managers and colleagues to have stepped off the career track. The culture of long hours – one female senior official told us that she regularly worked an 80-hour week – means that many women who aren’t willing to pay the price in long hours are not likely to be promoted.”

The EOC is part of the growing consensus that change is needed. The spokeswoman explains: “More needs to be done about the culture that exists in local authorities. Housing associations which are dominated by men in decision-making roles may be in a weaker position to achieve that goal. Therefore it’s vital that housing associations take a good, hard look at why women are not developing their careers and reaching senior levels if they want to make sure that all of their clients’ needs are met and that they provide the best service possible.”

One of the most senior female figures in the industry, Housing Corporation chairman Baroness Brenda Dean, shares this view. She says: “This is a much wider issue than getting more women into senior management and onto the boards of housing associations.

“It is part of a greater chance to enrich the pool of future leaders. Quality candidates must always get there on merit. So we must campaign for change in order to ensure that the best people get the good jobs they deserve and to encourage women to go forward in the first place.”