Make Room for Women at the C Suite

In the year 2014, Canada struggles having women in corporate boardrooms, why is that?

Globe and Mail posted an article not too long ago "New rules aim for equality in Ontario’s corporate boardrooms" wherein they stated that "At least nine countries have some form of quota for women on boards, and many others have disclosure and reporting rules. Canada has none, although the Quebec government requires parity on boards of provincially run Crown corporations and agencies."

For a progressive first world country it truly seems disappointing that we do not have a proactive initiative to champion women in our corporate world defying the gender gap. There are a discouraging number of women at the C suite level in Canada today.

Even a country like India which people perceive to be an archaic traditional country proves us wrong, they recently implemented regulations to have a minimum of one woman director by October 2014, they have risen to make an effort for equality in the business place in its true sense.

The US earlier this year, implemented an equal pay Act which requires that men and women in the same work place be given equal pay for equal work, the "gender gap" in pay persists.

Where is Canada in all of this? What are we doing to show our women workforce that there is hope and equal opportunity? Having worked in the Commercial Real Estate space in Canada for several years, I have struggled to find C suite women leaders in any of the real estate or investments organizations especially at a Board level. Of course I am speaking on behalf of a single industry, however Commercial Real Estate and Investments is one of the major industries that impacts our economy and comprises of a large portion of our corporate world. This industry makes no excuses nor acknowledges that a gender gap exists; in fact they are almost oblivious of this issue.

I think it is time that Canada took some bold steps like its peer countries and created space for women in the C suites, but most importantly, more women need to take things into their own hands. This means asking to be considered for a board seat on the companies they help create, build, and acquire. It also means not shying away from voicing their professional desires, ideas, opinions, and even objections.

Canadian women need to raise this issue and drive the change; women need to champion other women and provide a ladder to break that glass ceiling to move upwards, such actions will force change, creating leverage compelling change in overall regulations.