Commentary@ITRealms:
Despite many countries passing the equal opportunity laws
and adopted UN resolutions on women empowerment, education, access to finance,
security, healthy environment, discriminatory pay packages among many other
barriers still militating against equality in work places and its attendant
economic growth. Kasie Abone, who just returned from World Bank IMF
Spring Meeting held in Washington DC, USA reports that until these barriers
were pulled down achieving comprehensive economic development will remain a
mirage.
Gender equity and its economic implications were some of the
key topics that engaged delegates at the recently concluded World Bank IMF
spring meeting held in Washington DC, United States of America. The global
issues which came under the theme “Gender and Macroeconomics: What Next?” had a
team of high profile panelists that brought different countries and
institutions perspectives on the causes and solutions to gender issues in work
places. Among the panelists were former Nigerian Minister and now United
Nations Deputy Secretary General, Amina Mohammed, IMF Managing Director,
Christine Lagarde, Oxfam International Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima,
Norway Minister of Finance, Siv Jensen and Coca Cola CEO, Mr. Muhtar Kent.
In their individual contributions, the panelists shared
their experiences on the causes of gender inequality in work places and its
dare implications on economies of nations while proffering solutions on ways to
have more women engage in productive ventures with equal pay, security, equal
education and access to finance.
Speaking on role of UN in bridging the gender gap, Amina
Mohammed identified acquiring education and the right skill sets as some of the
key factors necessary to pull down gender barriers in work places and women
economic empowerment. She noted that UN had shaped a new developmental agenda
over the last few years. She added “It was clear that the consultations we had
and the agenda we came out with in the STGs including businesses, and we
challenged them on how we can move gender equality from STDs to MDGs and what
do they need to take down in terms of barriers. And I think that much of what
we have today are playing out in the implementation stages. So, finding
government policies will incentivize that, pushing targets and indicators that
we set not just for countries but for businesses and partners that are
involved. That it makes good business sense; and there is economic dividend to
open up the space for women at all levels.”
She went further to say that
“Incentivizing the education because I think even if you get education, what
type of education; what type of skill sets are you bringing to the work place.
We can’t find women in certain positions because those skill sets are not there
and that is why we have to start knocking at the door of education and
development. We are work in progress. I think what we need now is how to put
this into national plan; we have to deal with business, we have to open our
space. The really big challenge we have
now is how to put this into national plan that will incentivize business.”
In her contribution IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde
said IMF was committed to the inclusion of women and gender issues in its
surveyance work. “We have decided not just to analyze, talk about it but to
walk the talk. So, what we do now, we have 22 pilot countries which have agreed
to include women issues, women inclusion in the job market, women contribution
in the economy as part of the annual surveyance. And that has helped us
identify for each and every one of them what policies, whether tax measures,
fiscal measures, structural reform measures that can decide what will actually
improve the situation of women. Another area we are pushing women is in our
lending capacity in line with countries programs, and we have traction when we
do that.”
She noted that IMF was working with Egypt where most women
do not join the job market due to security issues and transportation. She added
that IMF intervention in such situation was to ask the authority to earmark
particular budget item to transport, security and childcare budget so women can
participate in work places.
Speaking from the business perspective on how his company
boosts women participation in leadership positions, Coca Cola CEO, Muhtar Kent,
who described himself as a “proud feminist” said the situation he met on ground
when he first became the CEO about eight years ago on women leadership
positions was “terrible.” In his words
“When I first become the CEO almost nine years ago, I looked at who were the sharpest
of our products. At this time we were connecting with our consumers years ago
by 1.3 billion times a day, 66 percent times women were the sharpest. And I
looked at inside the company; the numbers for women leadership were terrible.
In middle level management there were low 20s, in senior management they were
in the teens. And so there was a big disconnect.”
To address this imbalance, he said his company embarked on a
multiyear policy program aimed at promoting and incentivising women to
leadership positions. “The whole idea was how they are going to break down the
barriers, how do we hire, train, retain and promote women leaders in the
company. Since the last eight years the numbers have gone up to mid-30 to
mid-level managers and more importantly, the pipeline for women leadership has
gone up to 50 percent now.” The effect is an increase from two to four women I
boards while working towards achieving parity in a board of about thirteen
members.
Coca Cola has also created the largest women empowerment
programme ever undertaken by a commercial enterprise called 5 by 20 in its 206
global markets in 2010. The goal was to generate and create five million women
entrepreneurs outside of the four walls of Coca Cola system. “We select women
leaders, then train them in basic accounting, logistics, distribution, retain
and connect them to a total of $200 million IFC credit. They get launched as
farmers, distributors, retailers. We now have 1.7 million and we are on our way
to reach the five million goal.
But the situation varies in from country to country. In
Norway, where women in 2008 surpassed men in acquiring higher education with 40
percent representation in parliament, government anchors the drive for more
women in work place on three major touch points, according to the country’s
Finance Minister, Siv Jensen. These are free education up to university level
which has enabled more women graduates, family friendly working life that has
to do with parental leave for both parents, paid leave for sick children,
flexible working hours; and the third element was affordable day care. With
ninety percent of Norwegian children in kindergarten at the moment, Jensen said
it makes it easier for women to take part in the work place.
Executive Director, Oxfam International, Winnie Byanyima, in
her presentation gave more insights into how women can be empowered besides
education. According her, education was not much a factor in the informal jobs
like trade, agriculture, unskilled workers, etc. “The big issue is to increase
women participation in business and what can work for their rise in companies
has much to do with corporate policies. When the policies put in place works
for women to juggle the roles of the family and career, when they are given
incentives to rise, targets and quotas in boards and senior leadership
positions. But the big issue is that women are stuck in the middle by unpaid
care work primarily.” She also concurred that countries with good child care
policy, public transportation facilities, equal pay and healthcare facilities
tend to have more women that stay in employment.
The Law and women equality
Inequality under the constitution surprisingly was
identified to be a big issue even among civilized world. Lagarde revealed that
IMF team found out that 90 percent of advanced economies, developing, middle
income economies countries of the world actually have sometimes in their legal
system constitutional provisions that discriminate against women. She said when
the constitution is changed to embed the principle of equality, the economy’s
circumstances change, the participation of women in labour force and the
perennial gender gap actually reduces. She added that a universal imperative
was for each country to look at the legal system and from the top to the bottom
decide that that has to change.
The challenge in changing the laws, according to Mohammed
was that advocacy comes in the way. Since the men dominate the parliament, the
decision to change the law by implication lies with the men.’ So, it comes to
equal access, equality; how do we help the ones that understand that the law
has to change in allowing that to happen. Until we get more women in
parliament, in executive positions making the case for it, it will be still a
work in progress.”
Practical solutions to closing inequality gaps
Kent argued that flexibility and creative architecture were
also key elements in promoting women in leadership positions. With the digital
high level of mobility among the leadership cadre, mobility can be taken care
of. This has enabled Coca Cola to appoint for the first time two African
American CFOs of Fortune 50 companies as well as appoint more women at high
level functions because of intensity of mobility and travel countries to
countries because of the children. With technology, Kent said in a few years,
barrier of mobility and office spaces will be rid of as work can be done from
anywhere at ones convenience.
Byanyima listed changing the rules of economic model must
change, promoting equality and reducing economic inequality, payment of minimum
wage that counts towards a living wage, restoration of collective bargaining,
unpaid care work, healthcare and care services, transport and using advertising
to tackle social norms are some of the policy measures that should be put in
place to close the inequality gap.
But for Mohammed, though the policies are in place there
should be measures to incentivize the actions we get through the budget
spending.” If we budget on education, how do we measure the outcome of the
education we want to see; so in real practical terms, how do you help policies
become actionable with the results; how do we incentivize those resources to
make things work for women.”
She also suggested that part of the flexibility in work
place could be investing in young women to own businesses so that they will
have the flexibility to have family, career and to put money in their pockets;
to make better families, communities for it. And more importantly breaking the
barriers of access to financial solutions, technology, like the menfolk is key.
On her part Jensen said that when companies convert the huge
number of women working part time to full time, companies will be raising their
resources in addition to reducing the gender gap in the regional economy.
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