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DAVID CONNELL
The cable industry is not doing enough to move women to the top of the corporate ladder, a new report says.
The Women in Cable and Telecommunications (WICT) Foundation last week released the preliminary results of a poll of 36 companies in the industry.
"The Benchmark Survey identifies the best practices, programs and policies that companies are instituting to attract, retain and promote female employees and assesses the current status of women in the telecommunications industry," the initial report says. "Women and women of color are not finding opportunities to advance in great enough numbers to reverse the erosion in their ranks as they travel up the corporate ladder."
The survey found that there are 10 companies with workforces comprised of more than 50% women.
However, WICT says only 31% of senior level positions, defined as vice president or above, are held by women, while only 3% are held by minority women.
"There are solid economic reasons to initiate diversity programs at all levels in the industry," says Grace Killelea, SVP-human resources for Lifetime Television and a WICT Foundation best practices task force member. "Not dealing with this issue puts our industry at risk."
The report cites figures that say companies with a majority of women in senior management have sales increases averaging 22.9%, while companies with all-male senior management teams only averaged a 12.7% increase.
Killelea and Comcast Communications president Steve Burke, who was the best practices initiative honorary chair, admits the survey was not a "scientific" study with concrete conclusions but was designed to create a benchmark to measure the progress of the industry in the future.
Burke adds that the study should eventually outline efforts companies are making towards getting more women in upper level positions.
WICT plans to release further details of the survey in an upcoming white paper.
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