It must be ensured that women and men have the same career opportunities
It is a reality that the Organic Law 3/2007 of March 22nd for the effective equality of women and men has been a driving force for the effective implementation of measures for equality between women and men in our organizations. The applicable legislation must serve to support and guarantee the ethical actions that any organization must take on its own initiative.
However, having a good equality policy goes beyond that; it must be an inherent commitment in the culture of our organizations. Achieving full equality means not only avoiding discrimination based on sex, but also achieving equal opportunities between women and men in access to the company, hiring, working conditions, promotion, training, remuneration, reconciliation of personal, family and work life and occupational health, among others.
Progress in equality between women and men over the last fifteen years in Spain has been very significant, placing our country above the European average (74.6% compared to 68.57%), according to the latest Gender Equality Index of the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE, 2022).
However, as the European Commission's Gender Equality Report 2022 shows, inequality still exists in many areas between women and men in the member countries of the European Union. In particular, women are still in the majority in lower paid sectors and are underrepresented in positions of responsibility.
The equality challenges facing companies in the coming years are therefore diverse and complex. Diversity, equality and inclusion attitudes of employees towards the workplace are becoming increasingly important. Some studies indicate that 76% of employees indicated that they would consider looking for a new job if they discovered that their company had an unfair gender pay gap or did not have a diversity and inclusion policy.
It is also important to ensure that human resource management processes (selection, professional careers, training, working conditions, salary policy) respect the principle of equal treatment and opportunities, as well as to promote joint responsibility for work, personal and family life. It also promotes gender equality through corporate social responsibility, the promotion of a corporate culture that fosters more horizontal and cooperative systems of organization, leadership and management, as well as measures to break the glass ceiling in companies, particularly on company boards of directors and in executive management positions.
For this reason, we cannot ignore the fact that equality is a strategic element of the first order and a key driver of economic progress. Therefore, companies must assume the principle of equality as one of the priority axes of their corporate culture and permanently incorporate equality in the management of human capital in order to ensure that women and men have the same opportunities in access, participation and permanence in all business management practices.
Teresa Areizaga, organization and people partner at PKF Attest
Source: Cinco Días
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