From Coco Chanel to Anita Roddick, Deborah Meaden to Martha Lane Fox, the business world has rarely been short of inspirational female leadership. However, despite these high profile successes, female executives across the UK still find themselves subjected to the proverbial glass ceiling effect on a daily basis.

Indeed, research has shown that men are still getting paid 17.2 per cent more than women, meaning the average woman will lose or forego a massive £300,000 over her lifetime.

When it comes to women in senior business positions, while significant progress has been made in recent decades, we are still recovering from a legacy of disparity between genders. Although women are now highly regarded as invaluable contributors to commercial enterprise, areas such as pay imbalances remind us that not all gaps have narrowed at the same speed.

Despite girls consistently outperforming boys in terms of academic Results, the continued existence of the glass ceiling is undoubtedly more about mindset than it is about capability. As such, I would say that the main barrier in the way of women’s career progression is a combination of incorrect perceptions and some amount of misplaced guilt.

Unfortunately, it is still a common notion that women are more likely to prioritise marriage, having children and caring for their family over their careers. Twinned with the stereotype of ‘male industries’, some still believe, although unjustly, that women are less work-orientated and reliable members of staff.

Nor are these misperceptions solely on the part of employers. It has only been a few generations since women were encouraged to forsake careers, education and financial independence in favour of more ‘feminine’ pursuits. Concerns about being able to balance work and home life i.e. career progression and a ‘biological clock’, can also discourage women from choosing promotion and responsibility within the workplace. While few women today are likely to believe they should conform to such ideas, it can still be difficult to shake off centuries of learned ‘wisdom’. However, it’s vital that we do.

Clarifying an agreed and achievable path to success is an important element in every employee’s career. Employers play an essential role in identifying where this path lies and what steps need to be taken along it. Female employees need to know that they can rely on employers to offer them the same career path as their male counterparts, including the same financial opportunities. That clarity will come partly from official company HR policies but also from the physical, verbal and non-verbal actions and behaviour of management.

While flexible working hours or maternity leave can, in some cases, inevitably lead to lost productivity, it is important that employers maintain a sense of perspective about the broader business Benefits of attracting and retaining the best talent, be it female or otherwise.

That said, although recognising the role women play in successful business operations is a highly effective motivational tool, it’s equally important not to take it too far. On one hand, awards that celebrate excellence by women play a crucial role in restoring some of the historic imbalance that has seen men perceived as higher achievers than women.

On the other hand, suggesting that women should be separately assessed and rewarded could imply that they have achieved success despite being female, as though their gender is an intrinsic disadvantage. Indeed, if true equality is to exist, it should be performance that is rewarded, not the gender of the achiever.

Similarly, successful women have a responsibility to act as mentors or role models to their colleagues, whether male or female; not because they’re women but because they have knowledge and experience to share that can be inspirational and educational.   

Ultimately there is no single solution to this longstanding problem and the onus to solve it is on all stakeholders equally. On a political level, legislation now exists that has significantly improved the situation. However, legislation, no matter how detailed it is, is still too black-and-white to work by itself.

To address the grey areas, and for true change to smash through the glass ceiling, a more holistic mental change is needed and conscious effort has to be invested from all those involved if it is to take place.

Women should never be in the board room just to even the balance and ‘tick a box’. Promotions, for both men and women, should be independent of all contributing factors other than performance.

The issue is not that of ‘getting women into the boardroom;’ instead we must focus on ‘getting talent into the boardroom.’ Businesses need to make a conscious effort to open access to the boardroom and highlight clear and structured career paths for all.

Simply targeting specific genders in order to bolster a company is an ineffective tactic. It’s inconclusive, as far as boardroom equality, as to whether an increased level of either gender is categorically beneficial to a business.

Many industry leaders believe that there is a real need for a greater number of females in UK boardrooms and increasing the level of women in the boardroom will allow for a more varied and balanced group with individuals tackling problems with differing perspectives and approaches.

We are heading for a ‘new’ era in which we will need a new approach if we want to avoid being caught in a vicious circle with the UK economy trying to pull itself from the depths of a recession; we cannot afford to leave the boardroom untouched.

• www.Adecco.co.uk