10 Proven Strategies for Attracting and Retaining Women in Finance
Across the financial sector, a quiet shift is reshaping what leadership and performance look like. The question of attracting and retaining women in finance is no longer just about equity; it’s about maximising untapped value and talent. Women bring a blend of analytical thinking, collaboration, risk-awareness, and emotional intelligence that lends itself to success in finance. Many of the industry’s most sought-after qualities—resilience, multi-tasking, long-term planning—are strengths refined daily by mothers balancing the demands of work and caregiving.
The 2025 Working Women Report highlights that career growth, mentorship, and meaningful connections are central to retaining women. Attracting them, however, starts with what matters most: a competitive salary, followed closely by access to flexibility—whether remote or hybrid—and investment in skills development.
Financial organisations that recognise this evolving set of priorities are better positioned to attract highly capable women into strategic roles. And those that go a step further—offering development pathways, human-centred policies, and visibility for women already thriving in finance—create the kind of work environments where top talent stays.
At RecruitMyMom, we’ve seen this dynamic firsthand. With over a decade of experience placing professional mothers into finance roles, our unique talent service has become a trusted link between forward-thinking employers and women who bring experience, accountability, and fresh perspective into the boardroom.
What follows are ten practical, evidence-based strategies to help your organisation build an inclusive culture and unlock the full value of gender diversity in finance.
1. Advertise Career Growth, Not Just the Role
Job descriptions often list outputs and accountabilities, but the real differentiator lies in possibility. Women are more likely to respond to roles that signal progression, so highlight internal promotions, development pathways, or how this role could evolve over time. It’s not about overselling; it’s about making potential visible.
2. Reframe Gaps as Indicators of Strength
Periods away from formal employment can surface unfair bias. Yet those same gaps often reflect a season of high personal growth, adaptability, and expanded skill sets. Finance professionals who’ve navigated complex life transitions often return sharper, more efficient, and emotionally mature. These are assets, not exceptions.
3. Offer Off-the-Record Insight Sessions
A job spec can’t answer the unspoken questions. Host virtual or in-person “behind-the-scenes” sessions where women in your pipeline can connect with female leaders or team members in a private, informal setting. These conversations provide insight, build trust, and often become the deciding factor in accepting an offer.
4. Redesign Reintegration—Quietly and Powerfully
Rather than launching a formal return-to-work programme, embed reintegration into your existing onboarding systems. Offer mentorship, skills refreshers, and coaching to those re-entering full-time roles. There’s no need for labels. What matters is creating a culture that expects and equips professionals to thrive at any point in their career journey. Retaining talent that you have trained, despite them taking a career pause, makes good financial and business sense.
5. Make Mentorship a Visible Part of Your Culture
Mentorship is essential for women to develop in a company. It’s one thing to offer a mentorship programme. It’s another to make it tangible and visible. Share authentic mentor–mentee stories inside your organisation. Highlight what was gained, what changed, and what doors were opened. Visibility encourages participation and sends a strong signal to future hires that you are invested in their development.
6. Design Meetings That Don’t Exclude
Time and tone matter in meetings. Schedule key decision-making meetings with an awareness of school runs or family commitments. Use facilitation techniques that invite all voices—not just the loudest—to contribute. Intentional small changes in meeting dynamics can have a significant impact on retention and inclusion. Ask for feedback and input from women in your organisation.
7. Train for Confidence as Much as Capability
Technical proficiency is often not the barrier - visibility and voice are. Invest in training that strengthens confidence, presence, and negotiation skills. Women who’ve mastered the technical but hesitate to self-advocate will benefit most from coaching that affirms their authority and amplifies their impact, undergirded by good mentorship.
8. Position Flexibility as a Competitive Advantage
Flexibility is often treated as an internal policy—yet its external branding is just as important. Show how your flexible work culture enhances performance, accountability, and cross-functional collaboration.
According to the 2025 Working Women Report in SA, the more senior a woman is, the more she seeks flexibility. For many, it’s not about working fewer hours—it’s about the autonomy to manage high-responsibility roles while navigating the complex demands of leadership, caregiving, and strategic decision-making. In this context, flexibility becomes more than a perk—it’s an enabler of sustained high performance at the top.
When flexibility is presented as a strategic asset rather than a personal concession, it becomes a magnet for exceptional talent, especially mothers who are already operating at a senior level and seeking environments that support both ambition and wellbeing.
9. Offer Stretch Assignments with a Safety Net
Many capable women delay applying for senior roles unless they meet every listed requirement. Internally, create opportunities for stretch roles framed as exploratory, supported, and low-risk. Add a feedback loop, sponsorship from leadership, and a structured path back if needed. This builds confidence, not just competence.
10. Measure, Reflect, and Adapt
The most inclusive workplaces never stop learning. Track gender representation across recruitment, promotion, and retention data. Layer this with feedback from staff surveys and lived experience. It’s not about perfection, but about responsiveness—adjusting course when needed to create an environment where all talent thrives.
At RecruitMyMom, our talent base includes exceptional finance professionals available for in-office, hybrid, or remote roles. From Chartered Accountants (CAs) and CFOs to compliance experts, bookkeepers, creditors and debtors clerks, tax specialists, and financial administrators—we connect businesses with trusted talent across the full finance function.
