febrero-marzo 2015
• El teletrabajo. La flexibilidad laboral les permite balancear las demandas familiares y personales. Por eso, hoy las empresas están adoptando modelos que incluyen el trabajo desde casa y el uso de la tecnología, así como la implementación de guarderías, mayor distribución de labores y apoyo a la maternidad. Esto les ayuda a mejorar la productividad porque reduce los costos de capacitación y contratación. • Capacitación. Todavía falta fomentar en las mujeres la cultura emprendedora y dotarlas de habilidades y herramientas para ser competitivas, así como espacios de encuentro y formación. Porque mientras más entiendan al mundo empresarial, más ambiciosos serán sus modelos de negocio y mayor su éxito. • Acceso a crédito. Las mujeres pueden padecer la falta de credibilidad y una brecha en el ingreso salarial, lo que limita su acceso a servicios financieros, reconoce Rebecca Fries, co directora de Value for Women –organización que busca poner a las mujeres al frente del liderazgo económico de sus países–. • Redefinición de roles. Aún existe la creencia de que la mujer debe cumplir ciertos roles y funciones por su género. Al respecto, Pilar Aguilar de Endeavor México, recomienda a las emprendedoras buscar una pareja “que comparta tu proyecto de vida y que se sume a tu sueño”. La presidente del Cimar explica que las nuevas generaciones ya están logrando ese cambio de paradigmas. “Las familias actuales necesitan el doble de ingreso para vivir bien, lo que orilla a que ella también trabaje o emprenda y a que el hombre sea corresponsable de la casa y los hijos”.
The panorama of female leadership in Mexico The modern Mexican woman not only takes care of the home or family. She also represents one third of the economically active population, whether as an employee, an independent laborer or someone in a business suit. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany; Dilma Rousseff, president of Brazil and Meg Whitman, CEO of Hewlett Packard all have something in common: they know what it is to conquer traditionally male sectors. And,
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according to studies indicated by IPADE, women exercise leadership that responds to the needs of the new social and economic dynamics to be more caring, flexible, cooperative and participatory and transcend mere economic interest. How true is this? The women above. The talent and managerial skills in men and women are the same but the approach is different. Leticia Jáuregui, founder of the association Creating Communities for Social Entrepreneurs, which provides advice and training to entrepreneurs in rural communities, believes that the first feature in feminine leadership is empathy through, “Taking into account the feelings and expectations of customers, partners, and employees to have a deeper understanding and seeking to work together to bring out the best in others.” Juan F. Aguilar, director of Dell Mexico, notes that women are good organizers in that they have to split their hours and develop the ability to do more in less time. “They better administer their priorities, their communication is more direct and they’ve learned to define what’s critical and discard what’s least important”. An investigation was conducted at McMaster University in Canada concerning decisionmaking abilities and yielded this conclusion: men heed to tradition, rules and regulations, while women think more about the interests of all participants, preferring a cooperative approach and reaching a consensus in the making decisions. “Having them in corporate governance or in high places is not only right, but it’s the smart way to run a business” said Chis Bart, who led the report. Several studies agree that the presence of women in business is related to improved organizational performance, more effective risk management and lower rates of bankruptcy. Despite this, only 25% of female talent in Mexico are occupying senior management positions; and that figure drops to 7% in regards to women on boards, according to figures from IPADE. But it’s not enough to simply decide that half of managers should be women. “You have to identify which profile is required by the organization and find the best candidate, considering their qualities first and foremost, and then looking at them as a person,” says Martha Rivera Pesquera, Chairwoman of the Center for Research on Women in Senior Management (Cimar), of IPADE. Women who choose an undertaking are the other side. 2012 INEGI data reported that there are about 461.500 female employers in Mexico and a further 4.3 million self-employed women, which altogether represent 26% of the total female population. Meanwhile, the organization Endeavor Mexi-
Women think more about the interests of all participants” co notes that 19% of entrepreneurs are women, of which 40% have had university studies and have undertaken them due to an economic or intellectual need for a personal and professional challenge or in pursuit of a greater degree of independent. “We not only create jobs, but also impact homes by setting a precedent and serving as examples for the family and community. That makes women agents of social change,” said Jauregui, of Create. New and old challenges. Although progress has been made, many Mexican women still face significant obstacles, such as: • Family and work. 60.5% of female entrepreneurs in Mexico are married and 80% are mothers. This means that, for most, the family is the main priority. Also, consider that in Mexico men spend less than a third of the time that women spend on child and home care. • Telework. Labor flexibility allows women to balance family and personal demands. So, today, companies are adopting models that include working from home and using technology, as well as the implementation of nurseries, greater distribution of work and maternity support. This helps in the improvement of productivity by reducing the costs of training and recruitment. • Training. Promotion of a culture of female entrepreneurship remains lacking as women must be provided with skills and tools to be competitive as well as meeting and training spaces. The more that women understand about the business world, the more ambitious the business models will be and greater success can be had. • Access to credit. Women can suffer from a lack of financial credit and a gap in wage income, limiting their access to financial services, recognizes Rebecca Fries, co director of Value for Women, an organization that seeks to put women at the forefront of economic leadership of their countries. • Redefining roles. There still exists the belief that women must fulfill certain roles and functions because of their gender. In this regard, Pilar Aguilar of Endeavor Mexico, has recommended to female entrepreneurs to look for a partner, “to share your life project with; someone who adds to your dream.” The president of Cimar explains that new generations are already achieving this paradigm shift. “Today’s families need double incomes in order to live well, necessitating the condition of women undertaking work and men taking joint responsibility of the home and childcare.”
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