A couple of months ago, the phenomenon of the "hidden brain drain" raised the issue of talented women leaving the workplace because of the rigidity of traditional career paths – in other words, the near-impossibility of being a business leader while having so many other distractions.
This piece from yesterday's Sunday Telegraph looks at the same phenomenon in the retail sector:
Middle and lower management of the retail industry is less male-dominated than most parts of the British economy. But there are only three female chief executives among the 66 store groups listed on the London Stock Exchange.Why is it that such a high proportion of women retailers do not want to become chief executives? The survey says that women shy away from the top jobs because they are unwilling to sacrifice their family life, are less aggressive than their male counterparts and are less concerned with job status than men.
