Why You Should Become a Procurement Change Champion
Back in 2022 (it sure feels like a long time ago?), we spoke to three leading male champions of change for gender equality, who inspired us with all of the positive changes they were making in their respective workplaces. These changes included leading by example, acknowledging that women are treated differently, and valuing the leadership skills women brought to the table.
Things have changed, we thought. But we may have concluded that a little too soon.
In a Procurious report we published just a few months later, we were shocked to learn that 74% of women in procurement report facing gender-based adversity at work, including being subject to microaggressions and struggling to get airtime in meetings.
Usually when faced with these such statistics, the default response is: what can women do differently or better to prevent this? But whatever we do, we can’t do it alone. Women clearly need more allies than the three that we spoke to.
Will you be our next champion of change?
The gender equity gap in procurement
Let’s be honest: the profession of procurement has long been a profession of men. In fact, the very first procurement roles were literally called ‘men.’
One of the earliest acknowledgments of a procurement function is in Charles Babage’s 1832 book, On the Economy of Machinery and Manufactures. Charles mentions the need for a ‘materials man’ within the mining sector who selects and tracks the purchase of goods and services.
It’s been 191 years since the first materials man, but it seems like we’ve now got a lot of materials men, especially in procurement leadership. In the recent Procurious report, we discovered that, while 23% of respondents said women make up 40-50% of their procurement leadership team, only 15% of these women are in C-suite or director roles.
Unconscious bias and microaggressions
There are many factors that are preventing procurement from reaching gender equity. Yet one pervasive one is microaggressions.
Tania Seary, the founding chairwomen and CEO of Procurious, says of this:
‘Women endure innumerable micoraggressions and challenges daily. Although women are making gains in the workforce and forward-thinking organisations are investing in and protecting their female employees, significant challenges remain.
Put bluntly: there’s a lot of talk but not enough action or results.’
Microaggressions, such as making comments based on stereotypes—like suggesting that women are too ‘sensitive’ or ’emotional’—and being less inclined to provide them with candid feedback or challenging assignments as a consequence, are harmful. It is essential for us to challenge ourselves to recognise these behaviors.
And champions of change, there’s something you can do. Next time you encounter a microaggression, say something. As General David Morrison famously said, in relation to gendered behaviour in the army,
“The behaviour you walk past in the standard you accept.”
So, male champions of change, now is your time to shine: stop accepting microaggressions.
Overcoming structural inequality together
Of course, microaggressions aren’t the only barrier to achieving gender equality. There are deep and entrenched structural inequalities that are alive and well, something that male champions of change can look to change.
The first is that procurement functions, and the organisations they work within, need to do more to ensure gender equality, especially in leadership roles. Our survey results found that many organisations were not hitting the mark in this respect: just 14% of companies have strategies in place to protect and promote women in supply chain and procurement, and a huge 70% either have no strategies in place or they are so ineffective that they go unnoticed.
This is a big area for potential improvement, male champions of change, and it doesn’t even need to be very hard. If you’ve got a female with potential in your team, some effective mentorship, or better yet, sponsorship, goes a long way.
The second barrier that our survey uncovered may sound like it’s unrelated to work, but it’s actually one of the most relevant considerations, and that is: the percentage of time men and women spend on domestic tasks. We found that 63% of women in our survey were pulling double or even triple duty at home, with primary responsibility for one or more forms of domestic work.
This is a problem. A very, very big problem. There’s very few organisations out there who value hours more than results. But, at the end of the day, exceptional results in procurement does require hard work. If you’ve got a full-time procurement job and a full-time job at home, inevitably you won’t be able put as much into your procurement career as perhaps you would like to.
Of course, globally, there are a range of different household arrangements, including ones where both women and men do an equal share of domestic work. But by and large, in Western countries, these households are the minority. In Australia, for example, women do more unpaid work than men, typically by over an hour a day.
So, male champions of change, consider this: Is she doing more than you? What more could you be doing?
Asking these seemingly simple questions could be the missing link between a leap toward equality and the seemingly slow progress we continue to make.
Champions of change: it starts with you
With any large, complex problem, like equality, doing what’s required to achieve it can seem impossible. But it’s not as hard as you might think.
As Ben McWatt, Global Procurement Manager at Rio Tinto, recently told us:
‘The first letter in inclusion is actually “I”. So ask yourself, what can “I” be doing about this to make a meaningful change?’
After all, it’s not like the business case for change isn’t already there: we know that female leaders don’t just improve financial performance metrics, but also de-risk firm performance by reducing the likelihood of lawsuits and scandals.
So, will you be our next champion of change?
If you’re a male in procurement and you want to be involved, nominate a female with potential to join us at BRAVO.
BRAVO is an online global membership program designed to help you set professional goals, learn to negotiate the career you want and come to grips with the current rules of play at work. The year-long program includes a series of Masterclasses, Workshops and Discussion Groups covering critical career topics like thriving in procurement career pivots, improving communication style and skills, taking the lead on sustainability, negotiating better outcomes, managing your procurement career through the cycles of womanhood, and so much more.
To find out more about the 2024 BRAVO Program, please select your region below: