Gender inequality is one of the most prominent issues in society today. Surprisingly, companies are still focusing on letting men have control over women in administration and leadership, but in reality, both genders have various sets of skill, talent and experience that benefits an organization. If organizations stop focusing on such stereotypes, true expertise will shine.
Why Gender Equality is Essential?
The United Nations works hard every year on International Women's Day to highlight women's work throughout the world in creating sustainable and democratic futures for all people. It aims to spread awareness about the hardships faced by women and promote gender-neutral society. Here are some reasons why equality between men and women is so important!
- Gender equality is intrinsic to sustainable development and achieving human rights.
- Inequality between genders affects individuals, and it can even alter entire economies.
- The overall mission statement of equal opportunity is a society in which women and men have the same opportunities, rights, and obligations as one another across all fields and industries.
Brands and Women Empowerment
From empowering women as part of their mission statement to embracing gender equality by providing equal and fair opportunities, there are many brands that truly stand out. Putting the wellness of women before profits, many organizations have won hearts and eventually brand loyalty. Be it breaking glass ceilings or breaking the bias, brands proudly showcase how women empowerment is the true way forward for economic empowerment.
Powerful Ads On Women Empowerment
Here are some of our favorite Women's Day ads that have been going around on social media. They cover important points about how the world could stand to change their perspectives when it comes to gender biases:
- Amazon's latest ad salutes India's women entrepreneurs for their strength in overcoming all the struggles and adversity to chase their dreams, pursue a career of entrepreneurship and kickstart startups. The ad depicts how India's women must fulfill their dreams against all odds and society must support such strong, hard working women.
- Another campaign by PayTM, On the occasion of International Women's Day, After conducting a social experiment, Paytm came to the rather upsetting conclusion that we still live in a society that is generally biased towards gender. For example, even in the so-called progressive 21st century in India - women are often viewed as second-class citizens particularly when it comes to financial independence and literacy. This simply cannot continue if we wish to reach true gender equality.
- PregaNews's #SheIsCompleteInHerself shared an ad film that encourages everyone to see beyond reproduction while looking at women. There is more to her than her role as a mother. She could be anything she wants to be. And she has a right to choose.
Brands that are Empowering Women:
It is a known fact that the Industrial Revolution was a major influence on gender salary. Women entered the workforce in textile mills and coal mines in large numbers to support their families. They however received half to one third of a man's average salary. The increase of women in the paid workforce was arguably the most significant change in the economy in the past century.
Today, brands are very aware of gender equality and ensure a fair chance for every individual to compete with others, irrespective of their gender, being judged solely by their merits and abilities.
To make the invisible woman visible, countless companies work towards breaking gender bias. We are starting to see results. It is fascinating, especially when we look at the recently published Gender-Equality Index (2022 Bloomberg GEI) and notice how many Indian companies have made it in.
- TATA MOTORS - Since Tata Motors began manufacturing cars 4-5 years ago, they've been promoting gender diversity. They discovered that female workers have a lot to offer because they can be great at many different tasks, including repair work, maintenance, and more! As a result, the company created the 'Women in Blue,' which helped girls who were previously struggling to gain employment as skilled blue-collar workers! Many of these girls had never held a screwdriver before becoming part of TATA Motors, but it was easier for them to take charge of their own lives and improve each day with this type of opportunity. It's beautiful to see such steps taken by Tata Motors. They're helping to promote policies quite uniquely tailored towards the empowerment of women employees. Breaking gender barriers in India's automotive industry is indeed something to be proud of.
- DR.Reddy's - Dr. Reddy's is one of seven Indian companies featured in Bloomberg's GEI 2022 index; it's the only Indian pharma company to make the cut. The initiative recognizes the company's efforts to develop an inclusive and effective work atmosphere based on employee-friendly policies by maintaining a flexible environment that allows employees to manage their schedules better and excel in their careers. This has been made viable because of the provision of several schemes for caregiver support, special consideration given to women employees throughout medical conditions related to miscarriages or fertility issues, and other policies like COVID.
- Tech Mahindra - Tech Mahindra is one of the fast-growing labels in the IT industry. It has one of the best diversity and inclusion policies, with only seven other Indian companies listed as inclusions on Bloomberg's Gender-Equality Index. This reference index measures gender equality across five pillars: female leadership & talent pipeline, equal pay & gender pay parity, inclusive culture, anti-sexual harassment policies, and pro-women brand. Their progressive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies enable everyone to bring their most authentic selves to the workplace and thrive in a purpose-driven environment that better empowers women who are historically underrepresented in tech spheres for years.
- WIPRO - Wipro is one of the 418 companies across 45 countries to join the 2022 Bloomberg Gender Equality Index, a modified market capitalization-weighted index that aims to track the performance of public companies committed to transparency in gender-data reporting. This is their third consecutive year. At Wipro, they are committed to employing inclusive practices and beliefs, including breaking stereotypes and encouraging diversity amongst their staff. Over the years, Wipro has introduced several initiatives for women including focused mentoring programs, behavioral development programs, structured upskilling initiatives for women in technology and concentrated efforts to create an ecosystem of support and enablement for women returning from maternity break.
- HCL - HCL has been included on this list for the third year in a row. They do their best to avoid any unconscious biases and prejudices influencing their judgments. They are doing this to help create an environment where it's essential to have meaningful conversations and be aware of their position in the world and what that perspective means. They also help other companies improve their perspectives on diversity by talking about what they're doing so others can learn from them and take on some of those diverse policies to get ahead. HCL is collaborating with IWD to identify what needs to be done globally as a society before gender equality is no longer an issue.
There are a lot of companies that go the extra mile to make women feel good and empowered. We want more of it, and all organizations should know how important this is! We are no exception.
Vajra Global's Gender Equality Mission
Embracing an inclusive workforce, we at Vajra Global use gender-neutral titles in job descriptions. This means that any role can be played by anyone that has the skill/talent/experience to excel in it.
Vajra Global has a team mix with close to 50% females; across all departments. Close to 50% of the management is female.
And our Zero Tolerance policy is gender-neutral. He/She/They/Them... Zero tolerance to harassment or indiscipline of any kind, no matter the pronoun!
Cheers to a workspace that walks the talk.
Conclusion
Gendered jobs are on the decline and should be. However, stereotypes tend to remain. Designating a job as ‘female' or ‘male' will not only diminish its authority but also demoralize those who might be interested in the field they are ‘not supposed to be in'. For instance, who decided that bank telling is women's work and driving taxis is men's work? Funny story. Earlier in the day, computer programming was considered to be secretarial work, thereby a woman's job. However, as the field intensified, the work was deemed too advanced for the ‘weaker gender', resulting in IT becoming a male-dominated industry.
This kind of attitude not only harms women, but disincentivizes men from crossing gender barriers.
Things are slowly changing, thanks to brands that eliminate such arbitrary gender designations altogether. Today, women and men are sidestepping preconceived notions and crossing over into roles that historically have been heavily populated by the opposite sex.”, said Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer for CareerBuilder. The company's study found that nearly one-quarter of the new jobs in typically male-dominated occupations, such as CEOs, lawyers, surgeons, web developers, chemists and producers, were filled by women between 2009 and 2017. Overall, 23% of all jobs traditionally held by men are now held by female workers. "Over the last 10 years, women have been gaining ground in management, law and various STEM-related roles," Haefner said. "More men are moving into education and training, support roles, and creative fields."
"Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow"