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

[CaptainWentworth]

I've just impulsively done something which I'm now having a bit of a wibble about.

Had an email round all the regional offices of my firm this morning, from the Regional Chairman, to let us know about some recent promotions to partner. As usual they were both men, and for some reason I was moved to send the following reply (only to him, not everyone!)

Hi X,

Congratulations to Y and Z.

I may be wrong, but (from a glance at the public web pages for each office) I think the new promotions will make 24 male partners in the region to one female. I’d be so pleased if that ratio improved in the future; I’m sure there can’t be such a lack of talented senior women in the firm.

Apologies if that sounds impertinent; I don’t mean to be – it’s just that the discrepancy struck me quite forcibly.

Kind regards,
CaptainWentworth

Have I just made a complete wally of myself/ labelled myself as a troublemaker? I'm a pretty junior minion around these parts so it's not like he will have any idea who I am- but he's prob thinking wtf!

And I'm not expecting any kind of discussion! Not sure what I expected really - I just had a visceral reaction I suppose . Daft of me.

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?

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?

Yes. And I suppose I must be a dick. No one's ever called me anything like that before.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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".

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

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

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.

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.

No, I know you didn't mean to name call Lizzie - I shouldn't be so PA! I've struggled massively with my confidence over the years- and have loads of baggage around my dad always telling me I was over emotional and illogical- so I get too defensive about criticism.

Thank you for all the great discussion - I will certainly think about it all and come up with a reasoned view on things, if I'm asked, but I really don't expect a response- I never did!

The only thing I wouldn't have done is send that in response to an email about recent promotions. Your points are valid and well set out but even with 'Congratulations to X and Y' it does come across as a little churlish and implicit criticism of the recruitment process for those jobs.

I think your email was absolutely fine, very good in fact. It doesn't seem churlish to me - recent promotions is why you noticed.

Do let us know if you do get a response.

Loving the immediate introduction of 'merit' - of course, if we overlook the massive discrepancy and over-representation of men in every single area then we can believe its because men have more merit. White, able-bodied, heterosexual, etc too. Ridiculous.

And no, there is nothing wrong with your email. Hope some more arrive in his in-box
Well done

Well, I think that letter was bloody magnificent, OP.

It's not about saying women should be promoted over the "best qualified for the job". It's about noting that management seem to think that men are always and forever the best qualified, when that may not be true. There are a ton of studies on this, with some traits in men valued as positive when exactly the same traits in women are viewed as negative, and so on.

Anyone who thinks that the current state of play in business leadership is due to a meritocracy in action must sincerely believe that women are inherently inferior, since so few (relatively speaking) rise to the top.

Well done, OP.

Why are we assuming that these talented senior women, who, if partnerships were awarded on merit would be equally in the running to the men who were actually promoted; either haven't noticed or are unable to fight their own corner?

Op has no idea whether any supposed injustices in the recruitment process have already been addressed by the people actually affected.
It's actually a bit upstarty to presume they need you to point it out on their behalf, actually. It's probably the very last thing they need.

Aah yes women, don't get too uppity will you.

Absolutely agree with ArcheryAnnie.

You pointed out very simply and well the discrepancy and I think also pointed out that as a woman (perhaps going on up through the firm) the lack of female role models in a partner position will be disadvantageous. I think others are right - how he responds to your e-mail will be very telling.