Where are the women?

Half of the world’s population are women. Although in developed countries it has been well documented that women are unfairly represented in the higher executive ranks of companies, what is not that much reported is that the number of famous males outrun the number of famous females, too.

A poll by the BBC asked people in UK who they thought were the Greatest Britons ever. There are only two women in the first ten: Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth I. If I had not counted wrongly, there are only 14 women in the first 100.

English author and journalist Jessica Duchen has blogged on female conductors, and she lists more than 100 of them. I confess I had not heard of any of them.

When asked why there are so few well-known female conductors, the American conductor JoAnn Falletta maintained that women are not as demanding as men – and that conducting requires the conductor to be demanding of the orchestra. I totally disagree. It is just a rationalisation of the issue. I know that women can be just as demanding as men. ☺ They are not too few – they are just not as well known as their male counterparts.

If you are a businesswoman looking to start out on your own and want to head for a leading role in the market, I recommend that you find an experienced consultant, male or female, who can help you in your branding issues effectively. Any other recommendations?

To view a fascinating video showing conductor Simone Young: Hamburger Philharmonics

To view the list of female conductors by Jessica Duchen: Uncommon woman conductors

To read about the results of BBC’s poll: Greatest Britons

Song of the week: Alicia Keys – You Don’t Know My Name (2003)