Gender Equality and Ways to Promote it in the Workplace

Gender equality has been one of the principal targets for the leadership of the entire world, with the United Nations taking up the concept of gender equality and women’s empowerment in its ambit under the Millennium Development Goals. Not only is it a fundamental human right, but gender equality is also essential for a peaceful and sustainable world.

The rampant biasedness against the female gender not only compromises the human aspect, tainting morality, but it’s also detrimental to the economic structure with the contribution not as much as it should be. Incorporating an equality-based work culture strives for constant vigilantism, giving equal opportunity in all scenarios.

What is gender equality?

Gender equality is not labeling men and women as similar but rather acknowledging that they matter equally, giving both genders equal access to rights and opportunities.

Promoting gender equality in the workplace

Mentioned below are a few aspects that highlight the menacing issue of gender inequality prevalent in the workplace

Recruitment

According to the World Bank, female participation in the formal labor force in India is only 29%. And contrary to popular belief, in the last 25 years, there has been a 23% decline in the female labor workforce, impacting the economic growth of the company, Recruitment should be fair keeping in mind the skills and not the gender of the applicants, as more often than not, females face discrimination owing to several
reasons.

Remuneration

Women, globally, earn 24% less than men in the labor market. Also, women earned 25% less than men in the formal sector, in India, in the year 2013. There is grave discrimination and exclusion in jobs pursued by women, both in terms of favored jobs and wages. See the complete report here.

According to the World Economic Forum Report 2014, the average salary of women in the corporate sector is less than 1/3rd of the average salary of men in the country. It shows a severe discrepancy, and gender hierarchy rampant in society.

Social recognition

According to a survey by the Institute of Leadership and Management, 73% of the women agreed that there are barriers when seeking high-level managerial jobs.

According to a report by McKinsey, 1/4th of the women feel that their gender comes in between in their way of career advancement, and around 1/3rd felt that they had more pressure to prove their competence than others. According to another statistic, women hold only 9.5% of the seats in the board of stock-indexed organizations.

Rewards and respect

According to a statistic, more than 1/4th of the women reported being treated unprofessionally at work, with nearly 40% reporting their judgments questioned in their area of expertise owing to their gender.

Mentioned below are a few ways that will help you ensure a workplace inclusive and coherent
for all, promoting gender equality-

• Promote a work-life balance culture at your organization to enhance productivity and make your workplace more inclusive.
• Take notice of the embedded patriarchy, if any, at your organization to change individual mindsets into a favorable work culture.
• Promote diversity at your workplace by appealing to the leadership as more diversity means more ideas on the table, enhancing productivity.
• An inclusive work culture is a boon for all, enhancing productivity, boosting confidence, and promoting a healthy work culture.