At Ecolibrium, it is our collective mission to help organisations work towards sustainable prosperity - a harmonious balance between people, the planet and profit.
As global Women’s History Month draws to an end, let’s talk about balance, let’s talk about people, and let’s talk about women in business.
As a society, we have come a long way. In the last decade, we’ve seen considerable advancements in gender equality when it comes to business. This includes a notable increase in the number of women taking up leadership roles and a genuine rise in “gender pay gap’ awareness. But we still have a long way to go.
Let’s look at some figures to put things into perspective.
According to a survey conducted by Grant Thornton, women held 32% of leadership roles in 2022, compared to 31% in 2021.
90% of organisations across 29 countries recorded having at least 1 woman in the C-suite.1
Earlier this year, UN Women reported that there were 34 women in executive government positions across 31 countries.
These statistics tell us that at the current rate, gender equality in the highest power ranks won’t be met for another 130 years!2
It’s a mindset shift…
The primary problem lies in our mindset. Studies show that, for women, the subtle gender bias that persists in our society disrupts the learning cycle at the heart of becoming a leader.
Organisations must actively address policies and practices that communicate an inconsistency between how we perceive women and how we perceive the qualities we associate with a leader.3
Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Jacinda Arden, Emmeline Pankhurst and Margaret Busby—are just a few examples of women who have faced and overcome these challenges.
March is Women’s History Month, designed to highlight women and their contributions to events in history and contemporary society. But what if we could reach a stage where gender equality and inclusivity are the norms? How can we support each other to grow and unleash our full potential?
At Ecolibrium, we’ve reached our own milestone this month. Our leadership team now consists of 50% women, promoting diversity and inclusivity as part of our journey to sustainable prosperity. We’re constantly working towards our own balance between people, the planet and profit.
To truly celebrate and empower women, we need to look beyond the binary concept of gender. Women’s empowerment comes when we, as a society, as businesses, and as workplaces, embrace each other and provide fair and inclusive opportunities to all.
Bibliography
1Editorial Staff, Women in Business 2022. Grant Thornton. [online] https://www.grantthornton.global/en/insights/women-in-business-2022/
2Editorial Staff, Facts and figures: Women’s leadership and political participation. UN Women. [online] https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/leadership-and-political-participation/facts-and-figures
3Ibarra H., J. Ely R., and M. Kolb D., Women Rising: The Unseen Barriers. Harvard Business Review. [online] https://hbr.org/2013/09/women-rising-the-unseen-barriers
