Ahead of the Olympic Games, equestrianism was overshadowed by Charlotte Dujardin’s withdrawal from the Paris event. But it would be a shame if, in the swirl of attention around Dujardin’s error of judgment, we lost sight of the fact that Paris is the first Olympic Games in history where women aren’t outnumbered by men – with equestrian events long leading the way to gender parity.
The same number of female and male athletes are participating in this summer’s Olympic Games. At least in one industry, we are beginning to close the gender gap.
But, if 50:50 representation is possible in sport, I have to wonder why we are so far behind in the corporate world – particularly tech.
I grew up with a lot of energy and loved the freedom sport gave me, but felt it was dominated by male fans and male athletes. There were so few female role models to look up to.
It matters that, when tuning in to watch the Olympic Games, viewers see an equal representation of men and women competing.
But it also holds a very uncomfortable mirror up to business. Just 8% of CEO positions in the S&P 500 are held by women. The UK only nominally fares better – last year, 9% of FTSE 350 CEOs were women.
There’s equal representation on the track but it remains a distant dream in the boardroom.
Not all sports are created equal and some still have a lot of room for improvement, but equestrianism has long put women at the centre of its history and evolution.
I fell in love with riding as a kid. But now, as a tech leader, there’s another dimension to this love of horses and riding – it’s the only show in town that’s truly equitable.
Since 1964, equestrianism has been the only entirely mixed-sex sport at the Olympic Games. Countries choose the best riders, irrespective of whether they are a man or a woman with no minimum requirements or quotas.
Equestrianism remains the only sport where men and women compete for the same medals in the same events. It’s a powerful example of equitable accessibility.
I’m a CEO in an industry where ‘bro’ culture continues to be the standard. Gender stereotypes continue to run rampant; if I had a dollar for every person who has told me that women are just naturally less interested in tech, I’d have retired a long time ago.
Just 30% of employees in STEM-related occupations are women. A shocking two-thirds of these women lack clear career advancement paths, tallying accurately with the finding that female representation in tech job applicant pools is highest for junior jobs, drops for mid-level jobs, and drops again for senior-level positions.
The gender parity successes of the equestrian industry shine a pretty unflattering light on the failings of the tech industry.
I’d argue there’s a great deal business and tech leaders can learn from what equestrian sport does best: offering men and women equal footing – from the first jump to the last.
Sport, a traditionally male-dominated industry, is managing to change for the better – the corporate world is running out of excuses for not making those changes too.
Melissa Di Donato is the chair and CEO of Kyriba and non-executive director at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
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