Discussions to boost female contractor openings?

Contractor jobs for women could become more varied if recent discussions to develop equality in the workplace prove fruitful.

The Association of Executive Recruiters (AER) has issued a response to the Prime Minister's recent statement regarding gender equality in the UK's boardrooms.

David Cameron had noted that the country needs to make more progress towards equality and noted that the government won't rule out using quota systems to ensure there are an even number of men and women in the top jobs.

However, chair of the AER David Winterburn responded with call to steer clear of such a system: “Promoting women into senior executive roles requires fundamental reforms in the way we work and handle career progression. Quotas will only target the symptoms and not the root cause of the problem.”

He added that any changes made need to rethink policies in order to support women and make it possible for them to compete fairly for the top jobs. Executive recruiters are among those he urged to play a pivotal role in reaching out to more female candidates and providing them with “practical support and coaching”.