Diversity within central banks will only improve if there is a culture shift among male employees suggests UK academic, Ilka Gleibs, in CB On Air’s latest Womenomics podcast.

Over the years, there have been a number of studies, which suggest that while women have as much talent and ability as men to succeed in top positions, they all too often lack confidence when it comes to their careers.

The assistant professor of psychology at the London School of Economics says there has been enough talk about women needing to gain more confidence and be more assertive in the board room. “I am tired of this argument… It is now time to focus on men, we have focused on women enough,” Gleibs says.

Recent appointments support Gleibs' viewpoint. In May 2018, the UK chancellor appointed Jonathan Haskel to the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee. He was one of five shortlisted candidates reviewed by a panel, but the only male candidate.

Traditional gender roles are the crux of the problem for Gleibs, who says many senior roles are “too time consuming” for women who are still expected to fill the role of “mother” within the home.

Policies that grant flexibility for men to take up some of the home-based roles, she says, would allow parents to share the care work. Accepting men have a role within the home in today’s society is still an issue for many senior men, Gleibs says. 

Index

00:00 Intro

01:30 Women and confidence

04:30 Changing focus to men

06:00 Balancing tradition

11:20 Changing policy

14:20 Male role models

18:00 Gender targets

To hear the full interview, listen in the player above, or download. Future podcasts in our CB On Air: Womenomics series will be uploaded to centalbanking.com. You can also visit the main page here.