"like-promotes-like"

I've just come across a report from last year about women in positions of responsibility in the hospitality sector.

Research has shown that people tend to recruit and promote people like themselves. It's a case of familiarity – we like what we know. However, if, as is the case in the hospitality sector, only six per cent of all board positions are female, the likelihood of women progressing via the "like-promotes-like" mechanism is tiny. Bearing in mind that, across all UK industry sectors, only twelve per cent of board positions are taken by women, we can't rely on peer pressure to precipitate change either.

Sharon Glancy in Training Journal (April 2013) www.women1st.co.uk