I just wanted to share an interesting article about a survey last year on female representation in procurement. The survey reveals that the women in purchasing earn 70% of their male equivalents in year 2012 whereas they earn 77% of their male counterparts – a seven percentage point improvement on 2013. Although it’s a slow improvement yet a positive sign but females still comprise of a small ratio as compared to male CPOs worldwide.
As a matter of fact, females are not as direct in communication as their male counterparts and most of the times such inhibition can unfortunately hold women back to excel in their career, but still there is a lot to be done by creating the right environment to achieve equality in procurement profession that will help women succeed. Indeed, women bring different perspectives and skillsets to the profession, often focused on the ‘soft skills’ that are increasingly recognized to generate value in business.
Undoubtedly, procurement is an
extremely challenging career choice, whether the purchasers are dealing with
difficult suppliers or stakeholders they are tested. They must have strong
analytical and presentation skill to prosper into industry and should be able
to communicate ideas and potential values to stakeholders. During the current
economic turmoil, the organizations turn to their CPOs to deliver efficiency
and improve margins. The achievements will increase the profile of those
working in procurement sector. Therefore, I strongly recommend women to take a
strategic move towards procurement while perusing their career. Please do share
your thoughts on why women do not choose procurement as a profession.