Taboo: Management Consulting and Policy Prohibiting Women

The Taboo of Women in Management International management consulting plastered Burns & McC eitherister is listed by Working Mother magazine as peerless of the top fifty firms in the United States for employment of treating mothers and by Working Woman magazine as one of the top ten-spot firms for women. The firm has earned this reputation for several reasons. First, nearly 50% of its partners ar women. Second, it has a menu of employee benefits that includes such things as flex hours, sabbaticals, family leave, home-based work, and part-time partner-track positions.However, B&M recently has been the subject of a series of reports by some(prenominal) the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times that scrutinise its policy on womanly executives in sealed nations. B&M has learned, by dint of its years of consulting, that certain countries in which it negotiates for contracts prohibit the use of women in the negotiation process. The cultures of many of these countries do not per mit women to speak in a meeting that includes men.Consequently, B&M has implemented a policy prohibiting women partners from being assigned these dominance account negotiations and later the accounts themselves. Clerical help in the offices can be female, but any contact with client must be through a male partner or account executive. For example, Japan up to now has a two-track hiring system with only 3% of professional positions open to women. The equalizer of the women in the Japanese corporate workforce become office ladies who file, carry uniforms, and serve tea. Dentsu, Inc. a large Japanese ad firm, had a flick of the typical Dentsu Working Girl in its recruiting brochure. Surrounding the photo argon comments primarily intimately her physical appearance such as (1) her breasts are pretty large and (2) her bottom is rather soft. In response to admonition regarding B&Ms posture, the head of the firms New York office has explained Look, were about as modernised a firm a s youll find. But the reality of international contrast is that if we try to use women, we cant get the job. Its not a policy on all foreign accounts.Weve just identified certain cultures in which women go away not be able to successfully land or work on accounts. This restriction does not interfere with their career track. It does not cod to all countries. The National Organisation for Women ( instanter) would like B to apply to all its operations the standards that it employs in the United States. No restrictions are placed on women here, NOW argues, and other cultures should adapt to our standards we should not change our standards to adapt to their culture. NOW maintains that without such a posture, change can never come about