Disrupting The Barriers To Women’s Career Progression
Law firms provide one of the more graphic examples of persistent gender imbalances of any sector. In Australia (as with both the UK and the
Grow Your Talent With Sponsorship
What is sponsorship?
And how is it different to mentoring? What benefits will it have for my company?
How does it work?
Find out how our sponsorship program has been crafted to fit your business.
Cultivate Sponsorship is the only sponsorship program in Australia that is based on research to create
cultural change
Identify your future leaders
Build leadership readiness and gender equality
Connect them with sponsors
Designed to build and nurture sponsorship relationships
Grow your talent, strengthen your business
Attract and retain the best people
Cultivate is not like other programs.
Cultivate provides support for up to 12 months, to ensure the changes to your business are enduring.
Informal “sponsorship” of employees happens naturally in companies, but male leaders tend to take an interest in the career progression of younger men.
In the long-term, businesses see cultural change – and improve their ability to attract and retain talented women.
Cultivate is a program that gives business leaders the tools to build strategic alliances with women.
Guided by a carefully curated seven month program, Sponsors and sponsored employees form a genuine and trusting connection.
What is sponsorship?
Sponsorship is a strategic alliance between a senior leader and an emerging leader.
Sponsors believe and invest in the careers of emerging leaders by giving them access to opportunity, supporting their skill development and advocating for them.
When emerging leaders are recognised and supported, they add value to the company.
As Elizabeth Broderick, Australia’s longest serving Sex Discrimination Commissioner described it:
“When I look back on my own career, it was decent, beautiful men who informally sponsored me. They showed me the rules of the game. That’s what helped me build my career. It wasn’t the only thing, but it helped me.”
Why sponsorship works
The problem
We know that women aspire to be senior leaders, but often progression depends on sponsorship, which can be hard to access.
Informal sponsorship networks tend to favour men. 9 in 10 women do not feel confident to seek out a sponsor.
0
%
OF WOMEN DO NOT FEEL CONFIDENT TO SEEK OUT A SPONSOR.
0
%
OF WOMEN REPORT THAT WHEN THEY SEE MORE WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP, THEY BELIEVE THEY CAN GET THERE TOO.
The solution
We know that women aspire to be senior leaders, but often progression depends on sponsorship, which can be hard to access.
86% of women report that when they see more women in leadership, they believe they can get there too.
83% of women understand their own career progression will affect the next generation of women.
How does the program work?
Watch this short video to find out more.
Cultivate your thinking
Gain insights that initiate ideas and incite change.
Inside the legal industry: Leaders, power and the rules of the game!
We all read regularly that there are not enough women in partnership in law firms. We know that 60% of law graduates are women, over
Gender Diversity In A World In Crisis
Leading up to COVID we were really beginning to gain momentum in Diversity and Inclusion; we were at the cusp of some really exciting progression.
We were seeing businesses start to take D&I seriously, and put plans in place to see gender diversity realised in their business.
However due to COVID and the economic impact that has flowed on as a result, we have seen stagnation in the once moving efforts for achieving gender equity. The research tells us that during an economic downturn, D&I is often the first thing to go.
