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| 'The Foreign Office has traditionally been a place for eccentric males' | 'The Foreign Office has traditionally been a place for eccentric males' |
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| Senior women diplomats are still paid 10% less than their male counterparts, according to figures released by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) – and women hold just a quarter of senior positions. | Senior women diplomats are still paid 10% less than their male counterparts, according to figures released by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) – and women hold just a quarter of senior positions. |
| Published in April, the FCO's Diversity and Equality Report showed that the most senior female civil servants in the department were paid an average of £118,470 last year, compared with £131,360 for men. The FCO has also missed a recruitment target to see 28% of senior management positions occupied by women by April 2013; by last December, just 20% of heads of mission overseas were female. | Published in April, the FCO's Diversity and Equality Report showed that the most senior female civil servants in the department were paid an average of £118,470 last year, compared with £131,360 for men. The FCO has also missed a recruitment target to see 28% of senior management positions occupied by women by April 2013; by last December, just 20% of heads of mission overseas were female. |
| Dr Helen McCarthy, a lecturer at Queen Mary University of London and author of Women of the World: The Rise of the Female Diplomat, says there is still an issue for women in the FCO. "Women have been recruited to the diplomatic service since 1946, so why haven't they reached the pinnacle of the diplomatic career ladder? The marriage bar put women off from applying in the first place, as it meant that those who stayed on had to forgo marriage and children, but that was lifted in 1973," she says. | Dr Helen McCarthy, a lecturer at Queen Mary University of London and author of Women of the World: The Rise of the Female Diplomat, says there is still an issue for women in the FCO. "Women have been recruited to the diplomatic service since 1946, so why haven't they reached the pinnacle of the diplomatic career ladder? The marriage bar put women off from applying in the first place, as it meant that those who stayed on had to forgo marriage and children, but that was lifted in 1973," she says. |
| The Foreign Office still lags behind other Whitehall departments. Is the discrepancy in pay simply a generational issue that will work itself out, or evidence of a more pernicious problem? | The Foreign Office still lags behind other Whitehall departments. Is the discrepancy in pay simply a generational issue that will work itself out, or evidence of a more pernicious problem? |
| "Some of the employees I interviewed for my book mentioned a macho culture and there being a masculine intellectual aggression which got you places," McCarthy says. "Pauline Neville-Jones, who famously resigned from the diplomatic service in 1995, was described as having masculine tendencies and as being aggressive. These were highly desirable qualities in men but they were resented in her. But this was quite a while ago and the culture has changed." | "Some of the employees I interviewed for my book mentioned a macho culture and there being a masculine intellectual aggression which got you places," McCarthy says. "Pauline Neville-Jones, who famously resigned from the diplomatic service in 1995, was described as having masculine tendencies and as being aggressive. These were highly desirable qualities in men but they were resented in her. But this was quite a while ago and the culture has changed." |
| The FCO board aims to appoint 24 more female heads of mission – 28% of posts – overseas in the next four years, including ambassadors, high commissioners, consul generals and heads of diplomatic offices. The department will also soon report the findings of its equal pay review, triggered by the EHRC guideline that pay gaps greater than 5% should be investigated, but the most likely cause is the fact that there are no women in the most senior graded posts. | The FCO board aims to appoint 24 more female heads of mission – 28% of posts – overseas in the next four years, including ambassadors, high commissioners, consul generals and heads of diplomatic offices. The department will also soon report the findings of its equal pay review, triggered by the EHRC guideline that pay gaps greater than 5% should be investigated, but the most likely cause is the fact that there are no women in the most senior graded posts. |
| Among lowest ranking staff, however, the proportion of women is higher and pay is equal with both sexes earning £18,156. There is also a future talent scheme, which offers 10 female undergraduates a summer placement at the FCO. | Among lowest ranking staff, however, the proportion of women is higher and pay is equal with both sexes earning £18,156. There is also a future talent scheme, which offers 10 female undergraduates a summer placement at the FCO. |
| Frances Guy, former ambassador to Beirut from 2006 to 2011 and Sana'a from 2001 to 2004 and current UN Women representative in Iraq, says the Foreign Office was "old school" with an "old boys culture". She says: "My 1985 intake was half women and non-Oxbridge, and half Oxbridge, which was seen as a big breakthrough. This means people come from the same established social networks, so it's not entirely sexist but it's part of that old school culture that's still there. | Frances Guy, former ambassador to Beirut from 2006 to 2011 and Sana'a from 2001 to 2004 and current UN Women representative in Iraq, says the Foreign Office was "old school" with an "old boys culture". She says: "My 1985 intake was half women and non-Oxbridge, and half Oxbridge, which was seen as a big breakthrough. This means people come from the same established social networks, so it's not entirely sexist but it's part of that old school culture that's still there. |
| "The boards for jobs are made up of your peers and those above you and when you're in a hierarchy made up of mostly men, interview boards are mostly men, so they tend to hire mostly men." | "The boards for jobs are made up of your peers and those above you and when you're in a hierarchy made up of mostly men, interview boards are mostly men, so they tend to hire mostly men." |
| There is also a history of eccentricity among male diplomats and diplomatic wives, says Guy. "The Foreign Office has traditionally been a space for eccentric males, but the women who have managed to get into some senior managements positions have often done so by conforming. We haven't got to the point where there's a space for such women yet," she says. Female diplomats often felt the need to "keep their heads down", adds McCarthy. | There is also a history of eccentricity among male diplomats and diplomatic wives, says Guy. "The Foreign Office has traditionally been a space for eccentric males, but the women who have managed to get into some senior managements positions have often done so by conforming. We haven't got to the point where there's a space for such women yet," she says. Female diplomats often felt the need to "keep their heads down", adds McCarthy. |
| Work-life balance | Work-life balance |
| McCarthy calls the 1990s the "breakthrough decade" for women and flexible working at the FCO, when special unpaid leave, allowing career breaks for family reasons, was extended from five to 10 years. The department also opened a subsidised nursery in London in 2001 and now has another at the FCO's Milton Keynes premises. But work-life balance is still an issue for many mothers, who agonise over whether to bring their children on overseas postings or send them to boarding school. | McCarthy calls the 1990s the "breakthrough decade" for women and flexible working at the FCO, when special unpaid leave, allowing career breaks for family reasons, was extended from five to 10 years. The department also opened a subsidised nursery in London in 2001 and now has another at the FCO's Milton Keynes premises. But work-life balance is still an issue for many mothers, who agonise over whether to bring their children on overseas postings or send them to boarding school. |
| Flexible working can be "double edged" for women, she warns, because they may be more likely to miss out on the overseas experience considered necessary for the top-ranking posts in Washington, Moscow or Paris. "As with other industries, part-time and flexible working are great but they have career consequences," she says. | Flexible working can be "double edged" for women, she warns, because they may be more likely to miss out on the overseas experience considered necessary for the top-ranking posts in Washington, Moscow or Paris. "As with other industries, part-time and flexible working are great but they have career consequences," she says. |
| Guy was one of the rare female ambassadors in the early 2000s with young children who accompanied her abroad. "Having them with me overseas made me unusual in the Foreign Office. Diplomatic life, especially as an ambassador, has a lot of social commitments which can work if kids are young and going to bed early or if they're older with their own lives, but not when they're looking for attention. | Guy was one of the rare female ambassadors in the early 2000s with young children who accompanied her abroad. "Having them with me overseas made me unusual in the Foreign Office. Diplomatic life, especially as an ambassador, has a lot of social commitments which can work if kids are young and going to bed early or if they're older with their own lives, but not when they're looking for attention. |
| "Traditionally, it was the job of the ambassador's wife to host social events, but the Foreign Office now recognises this and it can now be done by a local person instead who is paid at local rates. That option wasn't there 10 or 15 years ago. In third world postings in particular, you may have a lot of domestic help which makes it easier working overseas than in London." | "Traditionally, it was the job of the ambassador's wife to host social events, but the Foreign Office now recognises this and it can now be done by a local person instead who is paid at local rates. That option wasn't there 10 or 15 years ago. In third world postings in particular, you may have a lot of domestic help which makes it easier working overseas than in London." |
| Why do we need more women in the Foreign Office? | Why do we need more women in the Foreign Office? |
| "I want to avoid stereotypes, but often women are better leaders insofar as they are more empathetic, better at consulting everyone and bringing them on board and creating consensus around a decision," says McCarthy. "Just as parliament ought to reflect the diversity of the population being represented, so too should Britain's diplomatic core." | "I want to avoid stereotypes, but often women are better leaders insofar as they are more empathetic, better at consulting everyone and bringing them on board and creating consensus around a decision," says McCarthy. "Just as parliament ought to reflect the diversity of the population being represented, so too should Britain's diplomatic core." |
| Daisy Sands, head of policy and campaigns at the Fawcett Society, says: "Women have the right to participate in decisions that affect our interests both here and overseas and it is also a matter of good governance that our key state institutions are representative – organisations make better decisions with a fairer balance of women and men. | Daisy Sands, head of policy and campaigns at the Fawcett Society, says: "Women have the right to participate in decisions that affect our interests both here and overseas and it is also a matter of good governance that our key state institutions are representative – organisations make better decisions with a fairer balance of women and men. |
| "It is crucial that the Foreign Office, along with other government departments, ensures that targets are met and leads the way in advancing equality, as opposed to falling far behind it." | "It is crucial that the Foreign Office, along with other government departments, ensures that targets are met and leads the way in advancing equality, as opposed to falling far behind it." |
| To speed up the process, Guy says: "If you want to change something, you have to be active about it. Sometimes I don't think the FCO shows this commitment. | To speed up the process, Guy says: "If you want to change something, you have to be active about it. Sometimes I don't think the FCO shows this commitment. |
| "It could be more daring," she adds, "by sending more women to the Arab world, or having a few ambassadors in the Gulf, for example. There's no reason why they couldn't do it and there are women perfectly capable of doing it." | "It could be more daring," she adds, "by sending more women to the Arab world, or having a few ambassadors in the Gulf, for example. There's no reason why they couldn't do it and there are women perfectly capable of doing it." |
| An FCO official said the department takes "equality extremely seriously and it's important that we recruit the best people into the most senior roles regardless of their gender or background. "We know there is more to do to increase the number of women reaching the very senior roles but we are making progress. The number of female heads of mission is at an all time high of 40, up from 22 in 2008 and 40% of the FCO management board are women." | |
| • This article was amended on 19 June to include a response from the Foreign Office. | • This article was amended on 19 June to include a response from the Foreign Office. |
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