Finance work holds barriers for women
A new survey of females in finance finds it's difficult for women to advance working in hedge funds or private equity. Jill Barshay looks into why these fields get a bad rap.
Frustrated businesswoman (iStockPhoto.com)
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Doug Krizner: Of the women working in the private-equity and hedge-fund businesses, three-quarters say their gender holds them back in their careers. That's according to a new survey by Financial News Online. We have more from Jill Barshay.
Jill Barshay: Banks used to have a bad rap with women. These days, it's private equity and hedge funds who are having a diversity problem.
Tara Loader Wilkinson surveyed a thousand women working in finance in the United Kingdom.
Tara Loader Wilkinson: Private equity is a very aggressive industry. There is a lot of macho ego involved.
Maternity leave is harder to get in private equity, where staffs are small and stretched thin. It's the same in the U.S.
Deepali Bagati is the research director at Catalyst, a group that supports women in business:
Deepali Bagati: Women cite certain barriers to advancement, including, you know, lack of mentors, commitment to personal and family responsibilities, exclusion from networks, lack of role models. And all of those things make it very hard for them to advance.
Bagati says some Wall Street firms are changing their ways. Catalyst recently awarded Goldman Sachs its top prize for promoting more women to senior posts.
In New York, I'm Jill Barshay for Marketplace.
