Women 'losing out on executive jobs due to spousal jealousy issues', claims Yorkshire headhunter
Emma Robinson, founder of Huddersfield-based executive search firm Red Diamond Executive, said a client recently told her he is aware of male CEOs who have openly admitted they would avoid hiring a woman for a top job within their organisation, out of fear that their partner would be jealous about them working closely together.
She ran a poll about the issue on LinkedIn, where 23 per cent of 395 respondents agreed that they believed it to be a widespread problem.
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Hide AdMs Robinson said: “Finding the right person for a role is both a science and an art form – particularly at C-Suite level.
"There are layers upon layers of complexity, from researching the client’s market – which can take hundreds of hours – to searching comparative industries for people who might have the right skillsets. It is an incredibly multifaceted process; there are sometimes hundreds of potential CVs to crawl through, NDAs to sign, interviews to arrange and prepare for, and competency frameworks to analyse.
“To think that a perfect candidate could be turned down due to antiquated ideas about working closely with someone of the opposite sex, actually angers me. It is small-minded thinking like this that will not only hold back individuals from career progression, but also limit organisational growth and even economic development.
“It is already difficult enough to attract the right person for a job without taking ‘spousal jealousy’ into account. Thankfully, none of my clients have ever turned someone down for this reason, but I fear it’s an unspoken paradigm that is having a real impact on hiring and leadership within organisations.”