As women at the forefront of key areas in a technology company, we are obliged to guarantee the advancement of women and make diversity one of the pillars of cultural transformation.
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March 9, 2021 4 min read
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One of the great successes in the fight for gender equity in the workplace is the importance that the disclosure of social data is gaining in the reports of companies listed on the Stock Exchanges. Proof of this is the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI) .
One of the objectives of the GEI is to make inclusive work environments visible so that more and more companies join the new HR trends, such as work-life balance, and flexible work arrangements. Thus, retaining a talented workforce and creating a competitive advantage in today’s changing business environment will be a constant.
It is these initiatives that show companies where they are on the road to gender parity relative to their peers. And not only that; furthermore, it holds them accountable for setting and meeting their equity and inclusion goals. In this way, it is guaranteed that every effort will be sustainable and that it will not “go out of style”.
As a woman, working in a company that weighs equity and places the same value on variables such as profitability or governance is practically like winning the lottery. That means you’ve come to an institution that fosters female leadership and talent pool; that ensures equal pay and gender pay parity; that operates under an inclusive culture, and that applies policies to avoid sexual harassment. That is, you have come to a pro-women brand company .
Currently, there are organizations that have tested their gender diversity programs in the GEI Bloomber to measure their scope and effectiveness. Of these, those that respond to three objectives stand out: promotion of a culture in which having different sensitivities and capacities is perceived as a value, breaking down prejudices and stereotypes; procedures that ensure meritocracy, and support for women to break down both social and self-imposed barriers.
But what about companies in the IT industry? According to data from ILOSTAT, the statistics website of the International Labor Organization, when women get a digital job they must face an average gender pay gap of 21%, greater than the average gender pay gap of 16% for the economy in general. In other words, there is still a long way to go.
As women at the forefront of key areas in a technology company, we are obliged to guarantee the advancement of women and make diversity one of the pillars of cultural transformation. From my experience, the tools that we can use to promote equality and equity are equality codes, Human Resources procedures that ensure meritocracy, as well as codes of ethics and legal compliance that include the principles of professionalism. and respect.
Having women leading businesses is necessary, since it encourages points of view and approaches to day-to-day problems from different perspectives and, without a doubt, enriches the reflections in organizations. In addition, having women in positions of responsibility also inspires more young college-age women to choose to enroll in certain careers they do not now consider, such as STEM ( Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths ).
Basically, a pro-women brand company is capable of seeing powerful business skills in a woman, such as flexibility, the ability to negotiate, listen and communicate; empathy, and the disposition for teamwork. And that’s where IT companies will go as they include more women of high professional value in their ranks.
