i think i have a way to change the world...

[smittenkitten]

so , I was thinking this morning that something like 80% of purchasing decisions are made by women, so very, very slowly, companies that have women in leadership/decision making roles will start to have an advantage. but why as powerful consumers don't we speed this up. why don't we find out what companies don't have a good proportion of women at senior levels, don't have flex working, enhanced maternity or have lost sex discrim claims, and then boycott them actively.

i think it's unlikely that we'd have enough for a really effective boycott, but Mumsnet is high profile and if we named and shamed and investigated one company a month, we might be an effective pressure group?

this would then force companies to offer more flex working and family friendly policies to get women to a senior level, and we'd all benefit.

what do you reckon?

OK, I'm off to contact Boots. I'll let you know what response I get, but please all join me - if they get a lot of the same email, they will realise something co-ordinated is going on

thanks!

I've had a response that they won't give out salary info because it's confidential, but they did send me a link to their website which does have a page under CSR about women working at Boots, and shows their numbers of women in senior management are increasing (but still less than 40%).

Please, others on this thread drop them an email so they know this important to the people who fund their business!

Have you got the link so that we can take a look and the contact address?

I think this is a brilliant idea - look at how much retailers have changed in the last 5 years or so since they clued on that environmentally sound practice was important to consumers.

I would definitely try to channel my money towards women-friendly businesses and away from unequal/exploitative ones if I had a clear idea about this.

What would be excellent to aspire to I think is retailers bragging (like they do with environmental issues) about their achievements in implementing best practice fair employment policy.

I also think now's a really good time to start this as lots of people are still more politically aware than normal off the back of the general election. (wonder how nice Smythson are being to preggers Samcam...)

Let me know if there's anything practical I can do.