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Women have to wait 105 more years for gender equality. Can we change that?

6 March 2024

International Women's Day - celebrated in March - reminds us that we still have a great deal to do in terms of equal rights of women and men in society, but also in the labour market. Will it take us as long as 105 years, as gender equality experts point out?

According to the Global Gender Gap Index 2023, no country has yet achieved full gender parity, although nine countries (Iceland, Norway, Finland, New Zealand, Sweden, Germany, Nicaragua, Namibia and Lithuania) have closed at least 80% of the gap. Poland ranks 60th in this ranking! The conclusions of the report and many other publications are worrying. Unfortunately, despite the fact that more and more companies declare the introduction of an equality strategy, there is still a lot to be done in this area.

"The inferior position of women in the labour market compared to that of men is perpetuated. Their situation is characterised by lower labour activity (...). We also continue to observe a concentration of (female) employment in lower positions and in low-paid industries." - we can read in the report 'Women, the labour market and wage equality' 2023, prepared by the Polish Women's Congress Association.

The gender gap also applies to the skills of the future (Global Gender Gap Index 2023), which may increase gender inequality even further. How can this be changed?

EDUCATION & DEVELOPMENT

"Gender equality is about ensuring that both women and men have equal access to development and training programmes in companies to build their career paths and be promoted." - highlights Kamila Izdebska, Head of BPP Professional Education in Poland.

MENTORING

Mentoring and peer support is a very effective tool to enable women to gain knowledge or competences. A mentor - senior in experience and position - is also an important role model for younger employees, proving that there are no longer any professions, industries or positions that are inaccessible to women.

STEREOTYPES – TO THE BIN

It is not a discovery that gender stereotypes are detrimental to women. Organisations face an important task, that of promoting gender equality and creating an organisational culture based on the European principles of diversity, equality and inclusion.

SUPPORT & WORK-LIFE BALANCE

"In addition to providing women with wide access to training and opportunities for development or promotion, it is also crucial to ensure that they have a work-life balance, through, for example, flexible working arrangements or extra days off that they can devote to upskilling." - notes Kamila Izdebska.

GENDER PAY GAP

The gender gap is very much about the unfair pay gap between women and men. We expect strong actions from sustainable companies to reduce the gender pay gap, such as the introduction of transparent pay policies, the elimination of gender discrimination and equal opportunities for equal pay for the same work.

FAIR POLICIES

Without the implementation of local and international government policies and regulations that promote gender equality in the labour market, including the adoption of laws against gender discrimination and the encouragement of women's representation on boards and in decision-making positions, we will not achieve much.

"All of these measures can effectively reduce unfair gender gaps in the labour market. However, regular and consistent cooperation between society, government and business is needed. - concludes Kamila Izdebska and adds, "I am optimistic, because over the last few years I have seen a change, in particular among our corporate clients, who are increasingly relying on the knowledge and competence of female employees, excellent and ambitious female managers, whom we have the pleasure to educate and support in their professional development."

Article also published on focusonbusiness.eu/en/.