Measuring the Glass Ceiling: data driving more transparency

Xactly software helps corporate customers calculate how much they should pay their salespeople by gathering and analyzing more than 1 billion data points each month.

To drive business improvement, it has long been said that one has to measure it to manage it. The Xactly infographic is a great example of the opportunity to drive more transparency on not only what women are paid in a specific sales case, but also what they achieve versus men. This can drive a very specific discussion and action plan.
With Big Data Comes Big Opportunity: Ensure Against Gender Pay Gaps -: "The data on this infographic was discovered using our unique big data platform that utilizes nine years of empirical incentive compensation data. Among the findings was data that showed while women are paid less, they’re actually out-performing their male colleagues. Without fair pay for performance, it’s impossible to have the hearts and minds of your employees, let alone to encourage the best possible performance, culture, and engagement."

Then, there are smarter ways to match up women with the best opportunities, like this example of matching up better women to the opportunities out there.
Algorithms Can Help Startups Push Diversity From Day One | WIRED: "Billing itself as a data company that matches women with the right tech companies using “OKCupid-style” algorithms, according to its CEO and cofounder Nathalie Miller, Doxa uses survey responses to build a picture of what it’s like to be an employee at a given company. Doxa especially digs into “gendered work experiences”"

These are great examples of using data to drive action in specific areas to help drive the deserved success of a pool of applicants or employees.

However, the other data we should look at is that tracking societal shifts that also influence the realization of the potential of women in the workplace. The increase in births from single women to 40% must also have an impact on the ability of women to consider thinking about maximizing their working potential.

Is Work-Life Balance a Full-Time Job for Working Mothers? - eMarketer: "a March 2015 survey from CareerBuilder, 78% of US mother internet users said it was possible to succeed in both career and parenting, though fewer (52%) said they were equally successful at both."

To what extent have workplace practices, and society as whole, evolved to enable choices to be made when balancing career and family?