I hope this wasn't a stupid thing to do!

When I thought this was sent to all, I thought 'oops' I am in a company that would hear this sort of thing occasionally, and politely put it wouldn't be too weird( mind you if anything the balance is the other way)

Said direct I don't think it's that bad. A paranoid control freak might gip, but a good boss would find this OK. As you say, a good p.a. will manage this appropriately.

One thing is true, by sending this, you have tested the water and moved from being a drone, to an influencer. They might not like it, but that bit is up to them. You will still have put it in their mind to keep an eye on reputational impact, which a person deserving the top table should do.

I think your email is fine too.

In my current workplace, until recently, all of our highest-level people were male. My colleague is a fairly junior female, but she had initiated a bigger project related to gender and achievement, and she did bring up this point to those people, especially when a promotion was being considered. I've not heard anyone who thought it was inappropriate for her to do that, and actually she got a lot of support.

And you're not the one being a dick Captain either.

And any firm worth their salt promote an atmosphere of speak up/speak out; you did a fine thing, OP.

But the OP can't look into the future and predict who may or may not get a future unannounced promotion. It doesn't make her look like a dick if future promotions are women - it just gives X the chance to reply "all is fine".

Never ceases to amaze me the assumption that for some reason, women just don't make the grade and that positive discrimination means that those women who are promoted because of it must therefore be less deserving candidates than any men that got passed over. The belief that, because there's a majority of men on boards, in parliament, in senior management of female dominated industries, men are just naturally the better choice is pervasive.

If you follow it through, it must also mean that men who attended a small number of public schools, so men whose families were rich, are naturally better than men whose families couldn't afford that, so a return to the old system of aristocracy by another name.

Captain your email was fine, polite and succinct. Hopefully, it will make someone think about the issue in future.

I think your email is fine. Any of the professional service firms are working on gender equality and generally have networks set up to support women into higher roles.

You are not a dick, Captain! You politely and concisely pointed out something that needed pointing. If the boss responds negatively, he's the dick! And as for all the posters saying that we little minions should just shut up, put up and never raise any issues within our companies, well, then they've won, haven't they? How will anything ever change?

Sorry didn't mean to name-call, just the act of calling him out on the perceived discrimination was a little bit silly if women were promoted on the back of it.

Erm, so you can be patronising to the OP but I can't point out the scientifically researched flaws in your logic? And what has what you do for a living got to do with anything?

I wonder who will get promoted into the vacant positions left by these newly promoted partners. If women then you will look a little dick-ish.

Was it an accountancy firm?

No - what he needs to look is look at his organisation and find the point at which there are roughly equal numbers of men and women. Then he needs to identify why the men move up to the next level but the women don't. Maybe it is because all the women are a bit crap. In which case, fine - although he may want to consider why his company recruits crappy women candidates and capable men.

No need to be so patronising Sera You have no idea as to what it is I do for a living.

If you do a little research, FiveSixPickUpSticks, it has been shown that when presented with otherwise identical CVs, most recruitment panels will consider that the one with the male name at the top is the better-qualified, due to nothing less than unconscious bias. So it is simple fact that women do not get an equal chance of promotion based on skills - men are at an advantage. So if employers are put in conscience mind that more women should be getting promotions, there is a higher chance that this imbalance might be addressed.

Of course op suggested the promotions weren't based on merit
I'm sure there can't be such a lack of talented senior women in the firm suggests that said women were overlooked because they're... women.
I seriously doubt the big boss will "open up a discussion" with a self proclaimed junior minion on the subject either

Of course she isn't. There is a host of evidence that the barriers to women (and other groups) gaining senior positions go way beyond 'merit' and most people, particularly those intelligent enough to be that senior, are aware of that.

I think it's fantastic that you did it. It was polite and raised a valid point. So if anyone higher-up takes issue, it would speak volumes as to the actual attitude of higher management regarding equality. These things needs to be flagged loudly and often! Well done you!