Today, working environments have changed and so has the challenge of gender diversity. The reality today is that attrition in female talent is a gradual process, it does not happen overnight or when women reach a specific level. In many cases, women are not held back because of a glass ceiling but because of the cumulative effect of the micro-issues that women face day after day that slows their journey, or stops them getting to the top.

It is clear that the gender mix is fairly even for entry-level jobs but then businesses start slowly losing female talent as they progress. This is a long-term trend, not a case of a mass exodus or even an obstacle at a specific point where female talent is stalled.

One common example is the issue of nominating personnel to take on assignments. Knowingly or not, many managers make assumptions about women’s availability for long-stretch roles, saying to themselves: “Taking on this project could be a high-risk, high-gain opportunity to accelerate Susie’s career, but it also requires travelling. Seeing as she has just had her second child, she would probably prefer to stay with the job and office she knows.” Often, the female candidate may not be given the opportunity to say yes or no to the assignment.

It should be no surprise that women leaders are the fastest-growing segment of self-employed entrepreneurs.