Mass. must improve at elevating women into executive suite
Susan West Engelkemeyer
Nichols College recently released the inaugural Massachusetts Women' Leadership Index (MWLI), which measures how well women are doing when it comes to serving as CEOs, board members, and executive officers in business, the nonprofit world and the public sector.
The results were shocking and less than stellar for a state with such a progressive reputation: Massachusetts scored 36 out of a possible 100 points.
Among the eye-catching findings: Women represent a meager 3 percent of CEOs and 12 percent of executive officers in businesses around the state. Meanwhile, the national averages for these positions stand at 5 and 15 percent, respectively.
There's more. Women comprise barely 17 percent of the commonwealth's mayors and only about 2 percent of police chiefs. And while one in five nonprofits is led by a woman, they—and we as a state—have a long way to go.
We must take aim at these imbalances, and not just because they underrepresent the women who make up more than half of the workforce. The paucity of women leaders also does a disservice to the businesses and organizations they could help. Research shows that when women play a major role in decision-making, financial performance improves and innovation increases.
The good news is that the MWLI study provides a baseline to gauge future improvements, and offers a model other states can follow. Closer to home, where Worcester is remaking itself as an up-and-coming city, the state's low score emphatically underscores the point that it's time to tap into the broader talent pool here in Central Massachusetts.
Some of the local CEOs I speak with say that one of their biggest challenges is finding sufficient talent. But maybe they're not looking hard enough.
It is worth noting that in higher education, Massachusetts and Worcester exceed the national average of women in leadership positions. Women hold the top roles at seven of 16 colleges and universities in Central Massachusetts. That's admittedly a small sample, but the 44 percent rate is 18 points higher than the rest of the country.
The numbers are even more impressive for female school superintendents in the region: 44 percent compared to 42 percent throughout the state and 28 percent nationally. That suggests that the state's well-deserved reputation as the educational capital of the U.S. has a lot to do with who's running the schools.
Years from now, we may not be having this conversation, and maybe the state's score on the MWLI will have soared into the high double digits. Our Institute for Women's Leadership, and similar initiatives at other colleges, will help shape a new generation of women and instill the confidence, negotiating skills, and vision that will transform leadership at the highest levels.
For now, we need to do a lot better.
Susan West Engelkemeyer is president of Nichols College, in Dudley.
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