#EmbraceEquity Today on International Women’s Day

Every single year, International Women’s Day is here to remind us of what we have accomplished to be able to stand where we stand. 2023’s campaign theme is #EmbraceEquity, and as a woman and leader in a world-class technology company, that led me to reflect on the progress that has been made over the last decades in achieving gender equity. I take none of that forward progress for granted and in a world where women are 132 years away from gender parity in the area of economic participation and opportunity, according to the Global Gender Gap Report 2022 issued by the World Economic Forum, there’s still an incredible amount of work to be done in order to attain what we truly need and deserve.

Equity isn't just a nice-to-have, it's a must-have.

Women have made strides in advancing in their careers and breaking through glass ceilings, that’s for sure. However, we need to acknowledge that there’s a significant gap when it comes to gender equality across the board, particularly in leadership positions. According to a report by Catalyst, women hold 31% of senior management roles globally, with only about 10% of Fortune 500 companies being led by women. We are far from achieving the full potential of female representation here.

Statistics get even grimmer after the pandemic and in certain industries. On top of that, one of the last by-the-numbers infographics issued by the National Center for Women & Information Technology states that only 26% of professional computing occupations in the U.S. workforce were held by women during 2021 with only 13% of U.S. chief technology officer positions taken by female leaders.

Not having women in the technology industry can affect all of us, regardless of where we live and work. Technology has become an extended part of our lives and we interact with it countless times in one day, let alone the week, month, or year. If women are not included among the decision makers and creators of technology, digital products will not reflect the priorities of women and girls. It is also known that AI models built so far had gender and/or race bias. If we want to change this scenario, we need to include women in the whole chain of command.

It's significant to call out that the lack of representation of women in leadership positions and certain industries is not just a moral imperative, but also has economic consequences. Research shows that diverse teams are more innovative and can lead to increased profitability for companies. Furthermore, advancing gender equality can boost economic growth and reduce poverty. Failing to include women in the digital economy has taken US $1 trillion out of the GDP of low- and middle-income countries in the last decade, according to UN Women. And this loss will grow to $1.5 trillion by 2025 if there is no change.

In other words, the year is 2023 and equity cannot be seen as a nice-to-have, we need a positive agenda that will drive a fast-paced change.

A focus on gender equity needs to be part of our DNA

Addressing all these issues is one of the biggest challenges societies has faced and to tackle this accordingly we need to, whenever we can, aim to create a more equitable workplace. The first step to change being acknowledge that gender inequality is a systemic issue, hence it requires a systemic change. All pro-gender-equity movements need to be coordinated and integrated to our day-to-day business and must reconcile all areas of society. This will take both individuals and organizations acting responsibly, all together. For individuals, this could mean getting educated in gender equity affairs, advocating for oneself and each other, and being a vocal ally for underrepresented groups. For organizations, this could mean implementing policies and practices that support diversity and inclusion to its fullest, such as inclusive leadership training, led by example with a prepared and diverse leadership team that are accountable for what they do on behalf of diversity and inclusion, pay equity and so on.

Defining aggressive – but realistic – goals focusing on advancing diversity and inclusion with their organization and how to pull the ecosystem should be a crucial part of what organizations can do to help us all drive the agenda of gender equity in the upcoming years. Intel, for instance, has its 2030 RISE strategy and goals that are helping the company – and the surrounding industry – to enter into ?a new era of shared responsibility. We are working to increase the number of women in technical roles to 40%, double the number of women and underrepresented minorities in senior leadership, and ensure that inclusive leadership practices and accountability are embedded in our culture globally.

And we will only be able to achieve that by finding a way to actively support the pipeline of up-and-coming women with scalable programs to change the current state?at a worldwide level. More active sponsorships of women and ensuring a consistent supportive network is key for change. And this is how we truly win.

And it's critical to understand the difference between?equity?and?equality.

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, one extra factor we need to understand is the history behind what led us here. Up to the present, one of the key factors that serves as a roadblock preventing women from engaging in the market is the disproportionate burden of household and family responsibilities. Women everywhere continue to carry the majority of unpaid care and domestic work, such as childcare, eldercare, and general chores. Not to mention the gap created by maternity, since employers have historically avoided hiring women who are mothers, pregnant, or women who are even planning to have a family with biological children one day.

If the historical and societal burden is different for genders outside the workplace environment, it should go accordingly that it is different within the workforce as well. Flexible work arrangements, recognition and incentives are only the beginning. Inclusive and social changes that value and support caregiving responsibilities is also key to creating a more equitable and fair society that allows women to fully participate wherever they want, however they want. I am reminded of the words of dear friend, Dr. Lisa Andrew , “It is easy to voice discontentment of current issues and realities. It is much harder to take intentional action to change conditions that bolster and perpetuate inequities and inequalities.” She, like many other women leaders, keep us grounded in concrete actions that we can take today to improve the situation for women this day and into the future. What will you do today to #EmbraceEquity??