Banking on Women: Selection Practices in the Finance Sector

Abstract

This article reports on research designed to explore recruitment, training and promotion practices in the banking and finance industry. In recent years, the initiatives of the major banks in the area of equal opportunities have received substantial publicity. Recruitment patterns are now monitored, career break schemes have been introduced, equal opportunity training has been undertaken, policy guidelines have been specified and circulated, and managers with specific responsibility for equal opportunities have been appointed. The research findings suggest, however, that deep‐seated and self‐fulfilling vicious circles of sex discrimination, inherited from a paternalistic past, can still characterise the industry's selection practices.