Planning matters

International Women’s Day 2020. A day dedicated to the celebration of the achievements of women across the globe. A day that puts the issue of gender equality at the forefront. With the current news dominated with disease, natural disasters and political upheaval, you can easily become overwhelmed by the world’s current events. And gender equality is not a subject easily digested. Nor is it an issue that has a simple, easy solution. But for one day a year, the issue of gender inequality and how it is being tackled in different countries, cultures, and sectors becomes the main talking point. We cannot underestimate the issues in front of us. To give you one example; gender inequality within the workplace. Globally, only 55% of adult women are in the labour market, versus 78% of men. In addition to this, 50% of the income gaps are still to be bridged. If we wanted to break this down further, only 36% of senior private sector’s managers and public sector’s officials are women [i]. The chosen theme of this year’ campaign therefore seems like a perfect fit; ‘an equal world is an enabled world’. Gender imbalance and discrimination is not a problem just to bear by women. But a problem solved collectively. Each and every one of us can contribute towards achieving a gender equal world, which not just creates an environment where women can thrive, but one which wealthier and healthier for all. So how is this year’s theme explored within the context of planning? The RTPI have recently released their study into women in planning [ii] and to provide you with some headline figures: the current RTPI membership gender split is 39% female, 61% male. When looking at final year student membership, 45% are male, and 55% are female. The figures could therefore provide quite an encouraging outlook. But let us not become complacent. As we all know in planning, a particular picture can be painted when using the figures in the right way. The research recently published by the RTPI also reports women’s experience with sexist behaviour within the sector and their struggle to get to positions of power. It was concluded that attracting women to the sector does not appear to be the problem (as reflected by the student membership figures) but retaining women through their career progression and any lifestyle changes remains a prevalent issue. What’s clear in all of this? We need to create an environment across the sector that supports women’s career progression. New opportunities need to be created for women, whether it be the recognition for more flexible working for staff or rather simply ensuring a more balanced male-female representation at events or panels. Essentially, women need to be involved in the conversation. As this year’s campaign theme promotes, gender imbalance is not a problem just to bear by women. Those in positions of power (more often than not this is men), need to ensure that those policies, initiatives and opportunities that have a potential to impact on women’s career progression involve both men and women in the conversation. Life at Lichfields    Here at Lichfields, we have progressed from the initial initiative of ‘Evolution’ to one focused on ‘Lifestyle Management’, encompassing issues such as gender inequality, but also issues such a mental health and well-being. The idea behind both these schemes is the sense of shared responsibility, the recognition that an employee’s relationship with the workplace changes over time and therefore their needs also evolve and change. For example, Lichfields offer flexible working to staff; in the structure of hours worked, cross-office working and the ability to work from home. As a planner in the Manchester office, it is encouraging to work within a team predominately of women in varying roles. Of note is Caroline Musker, who joined Lichfields as a graduate and has recently been promoted to Senior Director. We are also joining to celebrate the achievements of Tabitha Knowles, who has been nominated as a Women of Influence of 2020 within The Planner in recognition for her expertise in aviation planning.  We are celebrating International Women’s Day across our offices this year. In our Manchester office, we look forward to hosting a walking tour celebrating the historic women of Manchester. A great opportunity to embrace the values of International Women’s Day as a company. The Future There is always room for improvement when tackling issues such a gender equality. I hope that over my career progression I see more women not just in positions of power, but importantly that women in varying roles are involved in the conversation as to finding meaningful steps forward.   [i] World Economic Forum[ii] Women and Planning: An analysis of gender related barriers to professional advancement  

On the surface, the headline statistics fail to paint a very uplifting picture of women in the workplace. For instance, it is widely stated that it’ll currently take 170 years to close the gender pay gap, with women only making up 33% of senior and managerial positions in the UK[i]. However, it is undeniable that in the last 10 years alone, women have come tremendously far in their representation and influence within the labour market. This is where International Women’s Day (INWD) comes into play; a globally recognised day which “celebrates the social, economic and political achievements of women”. The campaign theme for INWD 2019 is ‘Balance for Better’, focusing on gender imbalance being a collective business issue, rather than solely a women’s issue. It is now widely recognised that alongside the social and environmental benefits, it makes clear economic sense for women to have a prominent role within the labour market. So, in addition to celebrating how far we’ve come, we need to be focusing on improvements to workplace initiatives that’ll not only encourage women into the labour market but more importantly, help them reach those senior positions. Now, the construction industry has historically been associated with being dominated by men. For instance, 25 years ago just 16% of the RTPI members were women. However, the story is changing. An increasing number of women are entering real estate, construction and planning university courses which is now being reflected within these respective professions. In 2018 the RTPI reported that 38% of members are now women, and perhaps most encouraging is the equal 50-50 split of males and females entering the planning profession. Membership to valuable organisations such as Women in Planning, an independent network who look to ensure inclusion and equality across the industry, are also continuing to grow. As a graduate in the first year of my career, it is reassuring to see that significant positive change has not only already occurred but continues to. Here at Lichfields, the headline statistics are looking positive; with 224 employees, 52% of employees are women, 48% are men. Interestingly, 65% of graduate planners are women and 35% are men. While we look for an equal representation, it is encouraging to see a high number of young female planners beginning their career with the hope that this demographic will follow up through the firm and women taking on some of those senior positions. In fact, this trend is already beginning to show; over the past year alone, 7 women have been promoted from ‘Planner’ to ‘Senior Planner’, the first major step in advancing up through the business. An excellent example is the recent promotion of Kirstie Hopcroft in January 2019, who began as a Planner in 2014 and has now advanced from Senior Planner to reach Associate Director. Alongside this, she has successfully won the North West Young Planner of the Year Award and has now been nominated for the National Young Planner of the Year Award. Breaking those barriers It is well established that women have faced and, in many instances, continue to face barriers in reaching those senior positions within the planning profession. However, alongside these barriers, there is a notable cultural shift within the profession. It is widely recognised across the industry that companies who support flexible working enable their employees to achieve a much better work-life balance. And as a result, the female representation in planning is indeed increasing. Here at Lichfields, we have progressed from the initial initiative of ‘Evolution’ to one focused on ‘Lifestyle Management’, encompassing issues such as gender inequality, but also issues such a mental health and well-being. The idea behind both these schemes is the sense of shared responsibility, the recognition that an employee’s relationship with the workplace changes over time and therefore their needs also evolve and change. For example, Lichfields offer flexible working to staff; in the structure of hours worked, cross-office working and the ability to work from home. This has not only ensured that women in the company are not deterred from senior positions but allows all members of staff greater opportunity to have a balanced home-life alongside their work. Looking to the Future Whilst it is important to remember the struggles of women in the past, it is crucial to both celebrate the achievements of the present and ask the questions of the future; what will female representation in planning look like in 20 years; how many senior positions will be in the hands of women; and what initiatives will be in place to break down those barriers women seem to face are just a few. From the progress within the profession to date, the future is looking positive. Lichfields are at the forefront of making this change, with established initiatives in place that help facilitate all members of staff to reach their potential.   [i] World Economic Forum, Available from - http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GGGR16/WEF_Global_Gender_Gap_Report_2016.pdfONS -  Women in the Labour Market: 2013, Available from: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/articles/womeninthelabourmarket/2013-09-25