UPFRONT

All The Latest Bulletins From The World Of Business

Women Leave Men To Undertake Domestic Finances

Around a third of US women in heterosexual relationships earn more income than their spouse, yet only half of those women breadwinners say they take the lead on financial responsibilities, according to study carried out in 2022 by investment banking company, UBS. The survey of 1,400 women investors across all ages who were very comfortably off found that less than half of women said they preferred being the primary earner (compared to 87% of male primary earners), and 48% of women breadwinners feel that financial decision-making is less natural for them compared to men. Respondents also said that friends and family often assume that men are the primary earners, with half of those women pointing out they have never corrected them.

FIRST FEMALE GAFFER IN MEN’S GAME

League Two club Forest Green Rovers has appointed the first woman to lead a professional men’s football side. Hannah Dingley will take the position as caretaker head coach, after joining the club as a coach four years ago. She remains the only woman in charge of men’s English Football League Academy. During her tenure at the club, Ms Dingley has also initiated the launch of the FGR Girls Academy in 2021, which develops female players. Dale Vince, chairman, Forest Green Rovers, commented: “Hannah was the natural choice to be first-team interim Head Coach - she’s done a fantastic job leading our Academy and is well aligned with the values of the club.”

■ Whilst a commonly used phrase in football, ‘Gaffer’ would be an odd choice of address for Hannah Dingley. The word is a contraction of ‘godfather’ or ‘grandfather’, and used to denote seniority or respect.

Most Popular Employee Demands

Women Reluctant To Enter Business Awards

Despite record numbers of female entrepreneurs starting a business in the UK last year, the number of women applying to business awards is still less than half the number of men. Using the unique data unearthed by startups.co.uk from the past three years, the results paint a depressing picture when it comes to business awards. Businesses with a female founder make up, on average, 23.5% of business award applications. That’s less than half the number of male founder applicants (60%).

The research suggests that confidence, not lack of opportunity, is the biggest barrier to female entrepreneur victory. This is something Platinum Media Group, through not just the Dynamic Business Awards, but its regional awards as well, is seeking to address.

The most popular workplace demand from employees globally is remote working. With just under two million annual searches, it would appear that workers value flexibility in their workplace above other factors.

Carrying on the trend of work flexibility, is work-life balance. This year, employees value a workplace that offers work-life balance.

CSR comes in at third. The number of searches highlights that employees want employers who align with their values and ethics.

Austria Wields Most Female Power

Research from William Russell, an international insurance provider, reveals the countries with the highest percentage of female representation across business and government.

Austria leads the way. It has had three female heads of state and government, while 34.6% of the country’s board members (on listed companies) are women. It also has 40.4% of parliamentary seats occupied by women.

In second place is the UK, which has had three female prime ministers, has a 37.8% share of women on business boards, and 34.5% of the MPs in the House of Commons are women. Argentina is in third, which has 44.8% female membership in its lower house, the Chamber of Deputies. Argentina has also had two female presidents.