Achieving gender equality is a global issue. Economists agree that until the status of women is improved, world economic conditions will remain unstable. Women comprise about half of the world’s population and also make up 70% of those in poverty. While some progress has been made, the state of women around the world continues to lag that of men. From equal pay to equal access to education and health and welfare issues, women come out on the short end of the stick.
In an attempt to level the playing field and to ensure that they are tapping all talent, the European Commission has proposed that European Union (EU) companies with 250 or more employees should strive for 40% women on their boards by 2020. Currently women comprise about 13.7% of board seats in Europe, a 1.9% increase since 2010. In the US women comprise 16.1% of board seats in Fortune 500 companies, up from 15.7% in 2010. The percentage of women on all US corporate boards has been stuck at 11-12% over the last decade.
The current EU proposal is “watered down” somewhat from the original language which sounded more like a mandate or “quota”. As a result of keen opposition, the vote has been postponed as the new “softer” language is socialized. Not surprisingly, some critics say that even suggesting a goal is too stringent while others think it does not go far enough.
The issue for me is that why in 2012 where women are clearly an integral part of the global workforce, political and education systems, we even need to go to these extreme measures.
As a practitioner in diversity and inclusion for almost 30 years now, it is like a broken record for me. We keep having the same conversations about the need to achieve gender and racial equality but we don’t and we haven’t.
Back in the early days the argument was that women and other underrepresented groups had not been in the workforce long enough and that equity will take care of itself with time. Well, time has passed and I venture to say in some areas we have regressed rather than progressed. A recent study conducted by two sociology professors who analyzed data collected in the US by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) found that progress in the US to integrate corporations has regressed for both women and people of color.
I applaud the European Commission for putting the issue out in front and establishing a robust, albeit, controversial goal to alleviate the perpetuation of gender inequality in leadership.
I ask you to consider: What more can we do? What more should we be doing? If we believe the economists who say that our very sustainability as a planet depends on improving the status of women, why are these issues not getting more urgent attention?
