Use your voice: three ways to drive gender equality in Women’s History Month

The lack of women on corporate boards is an issue that rightly attracts much attention. Globally, women only hold about 20% of board seats , according to non-profit Catalyst, and they hold less than a quarter of executive roles.

Yet, the issue of women being underrepresented on boards and in senior management teams – pressing though it is – is just the tip of the gender equality iceberg.?Daily, women around the world are wrestling with a host of gender-related challenges.

Depending on where they live, they might be denied access to education, prevented from owning property, forced into child marriage or unable to initiate a divorce. In some countries, they face a high risk of dying in childbirth due to a lack of adequate health care. What’s more, the United Nations (UN) estimates that 736m women – one in three women around the world – have been subjected to physical and/or sexual violence since the age of 15.

Women from every country, and at every level of society, are economically disadvantaged compared with men. Women globally earn 77 US cents for every US dollar that men earn for work of equal value. During the pandemic, women are suffering greater job losses than men because they are disproportionately represented in low-paying, vulnerable sectors, such as hospitality. The charity Oxfam has estimated that the COVID-19 pandemic cost women around the world at least US$800b in lost income in 2020 alone.

We need to help ensure that women have the same leadership and progression opportunities as their male counterparts.

Empowering women

Every day, regardless of the challenges they face, women make a critical contribution to the social and economic success of their communities. Yet, their contribution would be even greater if they did not have to battle against relentless discrimination and inequity. For that reason, gender equality is one of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

All of us – but especially those of us with platforms that enable us to make a difference – have a duty to help achieve this UN goal – and all 17 goals. I believe that business leaders can take decisive actions in these three areas:

1.???Leadership and management

Today, too many talented women are tumbling out of the so-called “leaky pipeline,” when they could be rising to the top of their organizations and making a positive difference to the world. To address the problem of women falling off the career ladder, we need to help ensure that women have the same leadership and progression opportunities as their male counterparts. This means giving them access to training, development, mentoring and sponsorship so they can enhance their skills and experiences, set ambitious goals and progress toward them, and raise their profiles within their organizations. Additionally, we need organizations to address internal issues around unconscious bias and set ambitious gender equality targets that are linked to executive remuneration.

2.???Sustainability

The world is currently on track for global warming of between 1.8°C and 2.4°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100, exposing millions of people to the risks of heat waves , flooding and other detrimental impacts. Women are more affected than men by climate change as they are often responsible for gathering and producing food, collecting water and sourcing fuel for heating and cooking – tasks that are made harder by extreme weather events .

Nevertheless, the battle against climate change could also be a huge opportunity for organizations to tap into women’s perspectives and develop their skills.

By hiring women into sustainability-related jobs and giving them responsibility for green projects, organizations can advance gender equality while helping to save the planet.

According to the Climate Policy Initiative , annual climate finance investment of between US$4.5t and US$5t is needed to fund the global transformation to a green economy. Sustainability will therefore be an area of phenomenal growth over the coming years. We must help ensure that men do not reap all the professional rewards associated with managing the transition to a net zero economy. By hiring women into sustainability-related jobs and giving them responsibility for green projects, organizations can advance gender equality while helping to save the planet.

3.???Technology

Technology – such as smartphones – can enable women to develop new skills, secure higher-paid roles, launch and run their own businesses and enjoy greater financial control . So, as leaders, we must think carefully about how we can use technology to empower the female employees within our own organizations, as well as women and girls in the wider world. The options available to us include workplace tools, social media platforms, webinars and apps. For example, the EY organization has developed the EY STEM App , an interactive learning tool that is inspiring girls in a number of countries to pursue STEM careers in future.

Platform for change

Women's History Month is a time for us to reflect on the progress toward gender equality that we’ve made to date – and it is encouraging that despite the continuing obstacles faced by women, progress is being made and women are making a huge impact on our societies.?

Progress is not happening fast enough for most women in the world and there’s much more still to do.

My daughter and I recently had an opportunity to visit a health post in Dharavi, considered to be one of Asia’s largest slums.?We met female doctors, nurses and community outreach professionals that have dedicated their lives to providing healthcare for the population of people living in Dharavi. I was deeply humbled by how they put the wellbeing of others before their own in order to help those most in need.

I’m deeply appreciative for the life and career that I have and the amazing opportunities I see for my daughters. Nevertheless, progress is not happening fast enough for most women in the world and there’s much more still to do.

We should all take inspiration from the women working in healthcare in Dharavi and push ourselves to drive change that benefits others.?By helping women, we also help those touched by their success. If you’re a leader, regardless of whether you’re male or female, please think about how you can capitalize on your own platform, and influence, to further advance gender equality. As someone who is in a position to be heard, you can use your voice to bring about change