Dive Brief:
- Human Resources can be a positive career track for women, says Georgene Huang, founder of Fairygodboss and contributor at Forbes. Fairygodboss rates HR among the best departments for women to work in, and women in HR typically earn around $80k-100k annually, giving them more gender equality. Huang also points out that the HR department is the only department where 55% of CHRO positions are held by women, based on a recent Korn Ferry study.
- Huang says, "One reason women enjoy working in HR may simply be that they are surrounded by many other successful women". This includes senior role models for junior HR staffers, the understanding of women-related work matters (like flexible schedules and maternity leaves), and a higher level of knowing what's happening with employees and the business.
- Fairygodboss reports that two-thirds of women say they experience gender equality in this role. When compared to other types of jobs, where only around half say they are treated as equals to men, this is quite high. Still there are issues of overcoming the male-dominated executive "boys club" to make positive changes within organizations.
Dive Insight:
High levels of satisfaction will encourage more women to consider HR as a career path, particularly where salaries and flexibility are generous. But again, it should be noted that CHROs are still paid less than their C-suite counterparts, and a large part of that can likely be attributable to gender.
What women truly need is to support one another as they climb corporate ladders and fight for gender equality. So too, there needs to be an end to gender-based recruitment bias that excludes women from certain positions and industries. This matters to organizations that are trying to foster positive corporate cultures and recruit for diversity.
