Shattering the perception ceiling: How can employers advance women’s recruitment?

Did you know that research shows that women are 16% more likely than men to be hired after applying for a job? We see similar trends in our interview process at One Acre Fund. However, in 2023, women comprised only 28% of our applicants. According to a LinkedIn report, women are 16% less likely to apply for a job after viewing it as compared to men. These factors, among others, contribute to the gender gap in various fields and industries.

Women account for nearly half of the world’s smallholder farmers and produce 70% of Africa’s food. Yet, the percentage of women professionals who serve these farmers has been declining. In 2021, only 25% of formal sector agriculture employees were women, down from 32% in 2010. This is also true in Africa, where the percentage of women professionals in agriculture dropped from 55% in 2010 to 49% in 2021.

This disparity is further heightened by unequal pay and limited opportunities for women in agriculture. Despite performing the same tasks as men, women often receive lower wages. Such inequality affects both the women’s professional capacity and their families and communities, for which they are often the primary caregivers.

The importance of gender diversity in agriculture cannot be overstated. Women bring unique perspectives and skills, and as has been shown to be true— having diversity in the workplace enhances productivity and innovation. 

“I am privileged and honored to work with farmers very often, and  I know that there are more women than men in the farming community in Africa. These women face many challenges that women professionals in agriculture are better placed to understand. Having more women professionals in agriculture will accelerate the pace of solutions to the issues that farmers face and which suitably fit the needs of our food supply and rural economy value chains,” says Shaila Mtamila from our Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning team.

At One Acre Fund, while we ask ourselves why we are not receiving as many applications from women as we would like; we also actively learn from industry trends and continually explore strategies to encourage more women to seek roles in agriculture and development.

Improving inclusivity in our hiring process

Even with 50% representation of women in senior management and 44% in global leadership, we believe there's still space for growth in attracting and motivating women to pursue roles at One Acre Fund:

• Talent sourcing: Our Recruitment team is on a mission to find and engage talented women candidates. From prospecting to incentivizing referrals, we actively seek out and encourage women leaders to join our team.
• Gender-neutral job descriptions: We have our eye on the details. We currently leverage specialized software to carefully review job descriptions to try to ensure they are inclusive and appealing to everyone, regardless of gender.
• Diverse hiring panels: We are working to make sure that all our final-round interview panels represent diverse perspectives. Why? Because diverse teams make better decisions.
• Candidate experience: We are continuously refining our approach to ensure that every applicant's journey with us is positive. One of our ongoing initiatives involves transforming our Hiring Managers into advocates for gender equality and providing comprehensive training to interview panels on fostering unbiased hiring practices. This is just one part of our evolving commitment to enhancing the candidate experience.

Calling all women: Exciting career opportunities await you!

When it comes to careers in agricultural development, the options are endless, and the opportunities are boundless. Whether you are passionate about fieldwork, technology, research, finance, or data analysis; there is something for everyone in this industry.

Here is the catch: despite the wealth of possibilities, an invisible barrier of perception often holds women back from seizing these opportunities. But guess what? According to industry standards and our own experience, when women apply, there is a higher chance that they will perform well in the interview process. 

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