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Summary

In this episode, Sandra Lewin speaks with Abbey Atkinson about what really holds women back from progressing into senior roles in insurance. The conversation goes beyond quick fixes or skills workshops and looks honestly at the systems, structures, and habits that still shape how organisations work.

🚨 It is not a woman problem.

Abbey shares insights from her PhD research, exploring how culture, power, and trust influence progression. She explains the concept of role habitus and how some jobs are designed around old norms, forcing people to adapt themselves to fit. Together, Sandra and Abbey discuss how trust operates differently for women, why flexible working can sometimes become overwork, and what needs to shift for change to be genuine.

The message is clear: women don’t need fixing. The system does. And if we create the right environment, there is plenty of food at the table for everyone to eat.

Takeaways

• Progression barriers are mostly cultural and structural, not about women’s capability


• Role habitus explains how certain roles carry built-in behaviours that favour dominant norms


• Women often need to re-earn trust repeatedly, while men’s trust tends to remain intact


• Flexible working can help, but without boundaries it often leads to invisible overwork


• Women juggle both professional and personal networks, adding unseen emotional labour


• Women-centred networks are valuable, but they need links to decision-makers to drive change


• Networking should be treated as a skill and supported equally across the business


• Employee groups need proper funding and leadership buy-in, not just goodwill


• Honest dialogue from leadership matters more than polished surveys or policy statements


• True equality means redesigning systems so everyone has room to contribute

About the Guest

Connect with Abbey Atkinson on LinkedIn

Read her latest article, Why We Haven’t Yet Achieved Equality, part of her Bringing a New Beat to Equality series.

Abbey’s research challenges the idea that women need to change to progress. Through her work with Insight Change and her academic research, she focuses on how culture, trust, and role design can either open or close the path to leadership.

About the Host

Connect with Sandra Lewin on LinkedIn

Sign up to Coffee with Sandra to stay up to date with all things 100 Women in Insurance.

Join The Pink Book Collective, a private LinkedIn group connecting women in insurance to mentors, speaking opportunities, and community.

Learn more about the 100 Women in Insurance Collective: www.100womenininsurance.com/collective