Ernst & Young: New white paper on diversity launched

By Rob Starr, Content Manager, Big4.com

Ernst & Young has launched a white paper on how to break down the barriers for women both on and off the sports field. The white paper, High achievers: recognizing the power of women to spur business and economic growth, focuses on the foundation that women have established in sports; the impact they are now making in all segments of business and society; and the work that remains. It also examines the anticipated impact of women as the largest emerging market in the world, with women’s global incomes growing from US$13 trillion to US$18 trillion in the next five years – that incremental US$5 trillion is almost twice the growth in GDP expected from China and India combined.

According to a survey of executive women conducted by MassMutual Financial and Oppenheimer Funds, 81% played sports growing up and 69% said sports helped them to develop leadership skills that contributed to their professional success.In contrast to the statistics for women reaching the pinnacle in sports by participating in the Olympics, or the progress made in women’s education in the US after Title IX, the number of female CEOs of Fortune 500 companies has doubled in the last decade, but in 2012 it is still only 4% of the total.