High-flying women: did they jump or were they pushed?

If the swathe of recent studies on the subject is to be believed, women are much more likely than men to give up even the most lucrative of positions in order to gain more time for their families or a more balanced life. Breaking the Barriers: Women in Senior Management, a report published by campaign group Opportunity Now, found that one of the chief concerns of senior women and CEOs in the UK were the long hours, hectic schedules and the conflict between home and work.

‘Women are just much more sensible about it all than men,’ said one senior City woman, who admits she’s beginning to tire of what is practically an all-male domain. ‘Why stick it? Once you’ve made your first million, even if you retired, you could probably live out the rest of your days quite comfortably and still have enough small change for life’s little luxuries. Besides, women in general, even in the City, still only earn a small proportion of what the boys do, so why slog your guts out for what will inevitably be a smaller piece of the pie?’

Even if a woman does ‘stick it’, decides not to have children, or is past her child bearing years when she makes it to the upper echelons, the evidence is that not everyone is going to be happy to see her.

Didn’t you know? I’m the new tea ladyIn September 2000 Mo Mowlam announced she would quit politics after the next general election. She said that she had finally had enough of trying to balance the obligations of being both a constituency MP and a cabinet minister. But she had previously admitted that elements in Whitehall had long been trying to ‘put the knife in’ with reports that her brain tumour had left her unable to do the job.

As Secretary for Northern Ireland, Mowlam had a colourful reputation for cursing like a trooper and, when negotiations were getting tough, of throwing her wig down on the table and exposing the few scraggly bits of hair left after her medical treatment. Such down to earth behaviour may have made her popular with the public, but it did nothing to endear her to some members of the Peace Process, and even her own party leader.

Next page: win friends and influence people