It's not just good morals to uphold equality for men and women, it's good for business and the economy.
The latest research shows the following:
Gender-diverse companies are 15% more likely to outperform their peers. Furthermore, it is estimated that companies with three or more women in senior management functions score higher in all dimensions of organizational effectiveness than companies with no women at the top (McKinsey).
Companies with more women on the board statistically outperform their peers over a long period of time (Catalyst).
There appears to be a link between having women on boards and better risk management and corporate governance. MSCI research shows that public companies are less likely to be hit with public scandals such as bribery, fraud or shareholder battles.
Generally, when more women work, economies grow. An increase in female labour force participation, or a reduction in the gap between women's and men's labour force participation, results in faster economic growth (UN Women 2015 report).
Women participate in labour markets on an unequal basis with men (male employment-to-population was at 72% and the ratio for females was at 47% in 2013 (International Labour Organisation). If the employment participation and wage gap between women and men were closed, women could increase their income globally by up to 76 per cent. In a report dated 2015, this is calculated to have a global value of USD 17 trillion (Actionaid). Furthermore, women own about a third of all businesses in the world, and nearly half of those businesses are owned by women in developing markets (IMF). Women is being studied as the next emerging market" by E&Y. By 2028, women will control close to 75% of discretionary spending worldwide (Boston Group).
About Girls....
Reshma Saujani founded Girls who Code and discovered that girls came into her program with a knee-jerk reaction to failure. She argues that girls are brought up to be "perfect", whereas boys are socialised to be "brave" and they therefore take more risks. Coding is a process of trial and error where success comes from perseverance and imperfection. We need to teach our girls to be brave and to be comfortable with imperfection.
About Boys...
The Mask You Live in, produced by Maria Shriver and written, directed and produced by Jennifer Siebel Newsom. It follows boys and young men as they struggle to stay true to themselves while negotiating America's narrow definition of masculinity.Pressured by the media, their peer group, and even the adults in their lives, our protagonists confront messages encouraging them to disconnect from their emotions, devalue authentic friendships, objectify and degrade women, and resolve conflicts through violence. These gender stereotypes interconnect with race, class, and circumstance, creating a maze of identity issues boys and young men must navigate to become 'real men'.
It is very simple. Men currently take up a big majority of the most senior roles in the world's largest businesses. Moreover, many such male leaders lack awareness of the unique challenges women face at work. To see real change in areas of gender inequality in the workplace, such male leaders need to be exemplary in "walking the talk" as it relates to gender inequality.
Moreover, gender equality is not just about equality for women, it is about equality for men. This is beautifully captured by Emma Watson as the goodwill ambassador for UN Women. In her speech to launch the HeforShe movement, she said:
"..I've seen my father's role as a parent being valued less by society despite my need of his presence as a child as much as I needed my mother's. I've seen young men suffering from mental illness unable to ask for help for fear it would make them any less of a man. In fact, suicide is the biggest killer of men between 20-49 years old, eclipsing road accidents, cancer and coronary heart disease. I've seen men made fragile and insecure by a distorted sense of what constitutes male success. Men don't have the benefits of equality either. We don't often talk about men imprisoned by gender stereotypes, but I can see that they are and when they are free, things will change for women as a natural consequence. If men don't have to be aggressive in order to be accepted, women won't feel compelled to be submissive. If men don't have to control, women won't have to be controlled. Both women and men should feel free to be sensitive, both women and men should feel free to be strong. It's time we saw gender on a spectrum rather than on side of two opposing ideals."
Click to access the full speech of Emma Watson.
HeForShe is a solidarity movement that provides a systematic approach and targeted platform where a global audience can engage and become change agents for the achievement of gender equality in our lifetime. Click for more information on "HeforShe" intiative.
