Upload
olwen-dawe
View
234
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Olwen Dawe21st July 2016
Why Gender Equality in Business & Leadership
Matters
“In 1973 Ireland joined the European Union (EU) as a laggard, with Irish GDP 64.2% of EU average GDP (CSO, 2004). With a relatively underdeveloped, patriarchal and familial social policy, Ireland was substantially behind mainstream European developments in social policy. “
Mary P. Murphy, Dept. of Sociology, NUI Maynooth
• Female employment rate of 27%
• Female civil and other public servants had to resign their position on marriage
• Gender pay gap of 53%
Forty Years of EU Influencing Social Policy in Ireland – a Glass Half Full?, 27th July 2014
State of the Nation?
• EU: 13 directives aimed at “equality between men and women” (1975-present)
• Narrowing (significantly) of the gender pay-gap – c. 14% currently
• Increase in women’s economic engagement – c. 48% (N.B. harmonised figure)
• Increase in political representation – 22% of all 2016 deputies (quotas introduced in 2016)
• Greater awareness and activity centred on the increasing the number of women on boards, in broadcasting, in senior educational posts and leadership – generally
• State Boards 34% (quotas in place); Private Boards < 10%; Large MNCs < 5%.
• Broadcasting (expert voices and broadcasters, harmonised across stations) – 28%.
What’s Changed?
• We’re 50% of the population!
• Better Business = Fairer Society: More representative, fairer outcomes and representative decisions – risks - non-diverse engineering teams (Washington Uni.);
• Diverse businesses are better (and more profitable) businesses (Lehman Sisters?), more thoughtful (transformational) leadership, engaged and engaging / consultative – less reactive.
Why Does Gender Equality Matter?
• Cultural Audits – change comes ‘dropping slow’! Everyone has a role in culture change, at every level. How are WE doing?
• Policies and Practices (blunt instruments and soft measures) – quotas, effective pipelining (talent-planning) within businesses, small and big, effective childcare and leave policies (equalising the parental expectation), “blind” CVs (US and UK companies)…
Making Change Happen… How?
Culture Change – Privilege & Unconscious Bias
Visibility & Role Models
Collective Awareness & Action
Waking the Feminists
Waking the Feminists
Geena Davis Institute
Women on Walls
Why Gender Equality in Business &
Leadership Matters
Any Questions?Olwen Dawe21st July 2016