Gender Equality Archives – Global Compact Network Canada

Mar

Are Times Changing for Women in Real Estate? – By JLL Canada

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The following is written by JLL Canada, Bronze Sponsor of The Gender Equality Forum 2017.

Commercial real estate has never been known to be a particularly women-friendly field—but a host of corporate initiatives to promote equality and changing attitudes in the workplace suggest a new era is around the corner.

In the drive to be competitive, business and public sector leaders across many industries are recognizing that it’s no longer possible to ignore half the talent pool. Nowhere is this more urgent than in industries where women remain under-represented—like commercial real estate (CRE).

One significant bright spot in the industry: For the first time, women in real estate, specifically, CRE reported parity with men in job satisfaction and life/work balance in Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW)’s annual study of women in commercial real estate. The study traces progress for women in CRE over a 10-year span, gauging compensation and career satisfaction, and asking participants about their about career aspirations.

CREW’s most recent 10th-annual Benchmark Study Report: Women in Commercial Real Estate, based on 2015 data, found that 50 percent of both men and women are “very satisfied” with their work life balance, while only 7 percent of women and 5 percent of men are “not at all satisfied” with their work life balance.

We are encouraged by the positive results of this research and the overall satisfaction of women in commercial real estate, but change is not coming fast enough,” says CREW Network CEO Gail S. Ayers. “We are looking to industry leaders to take action.

Leading from the top could help to speed up progress which has so far been slow and steady. In 2000, an estimated 32 percent of CRE positions were filled by women; by 2015, that total was 43 percent, according to the CREW study. The percentage of women in development nearly doubled, from 20 percent in 2000 to 38 percent last year. And while men still dominate the C-suite in terms of numbers, the number of women in top positions is rising.

Such numbers spell good news for the future of the industry. “Think about how much talent companies failed to recognize because they didn’t advance their female employees to the level of their abilities,” says JLL Chairman of the Board Sheila Penrose. “That attitude needs to stay in the past.”

Building for a stronger future for women in real estate

Several industry organizations are working on opening doors for women (and minorities) in CRE. The National Association of Industrial and Office Parks (NAIOP), for instance, shares best practices and success stories from its members’ diversity initiatives, including best practices, challenges and solutions and why their diversity programs are a priority.

Among other practices, one leading national developer requires all 50 members of its management committee to engage in two-year partnerships with diversity organizations (including organizations focused on women) and actively seek a wide range of candidates when vacancies arise. The CREW Network also has a variety of events to support business development and networking among women in the CRE industry.

CRE companies also can learn from companies in other industries, such as accounting or management consulting, that have been historically dominated by men. Ernst & Young, for example, has focused on executive sponsorship and mentoring, matching women managers with more senior managers to gain access to the client assignments and leadership experiences that lead to promotion. The firm also trains staff to become more aware of unconscious bias, and continually gathers data to monitor progress.

Although many companies run their own formal and informal networks for women, McKinsey, a management consulting firm, offers formal training programs specifically for women on such topics as “Pathway to Partner” and “Pathway to Director,” in addition to its training programs for all recruits. The firm also has invested significantly in research and thought leadership around the economic importance of women in leadership positions.

Supporting the United Nations’ “Women’s Empowerment Principles”

In the wider business community, gender equality was in the spotlight recently with the announcement of the United Nations’ new “Womens Empowerment Principles.” Signed by more than 1,100 business leaders around the world, including JLL, it emphasizes the business case for gender equality through seven key principles.

These include establishing high-level corporate leadership for gender equality; treating all women and men fairly at work; implementing enterprise development, supply chain and marketing practices that empower women; measuring and publicly reporting on progress to achieve gender equality, and other broader ideas.

“When companies recognize the business imperative for gender parity and implement strategies to address it, women are able to perform to their highest potential and make their companies more competitive,” observes Penrose, in the World Economic Forum’s January 2016 briefing note on its Global Challenge Initiative for Gender Parity.

And while a growing number of companies are incorporating equality as a key part of their corporate values and their strategy for business success, there is still a long way to go – both in CRE and a new globalized business world.

Mar

The Gender Equality Interview Series: Kamala Lopez, President of Heroica Films

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In light of the Gender Equality Forum 2017, we interviewed Kamala Lopez, President of Heroica Films and the Director of the film “Equal Means Equal“, and asked the following questions on Gender Equality, Women’s Empowerment, and more.

Why is gender equality important to you / your company?

I believe that gender equality is the most important civil rights struggle of the 21st century. Presently women shoulder most of the world’s work – both paid and unpaid. They also are subject to the most violence, poverty and discrimination and have very little power both formally and informally on a global level.

This issue is very important to me because I believe the planet can no longer support this imbalance of power between the genders. Our environment, our economy, our supply of food and water, the animals, the earth herself – all are suffering mightily because too much value has been ascribed to a false, unsustainable male ideology: that “might makes right” and that violence is a solution. Both are utter lies and completely deadly.

Until those qualities and attributes we degrade as “female;” qualities such as collaboration, communication, compassion and empathy are socially respected and elevated to their proper stature, the world will continue its downward spiral to extinction.

Despite all the strides that women seem to have made in terms of joining classically male domains like the workplace, it is the hearts and minds of the world that must change for this vital shift of perspective to happen.

The reality is women ARE equal, it is not a matter of opinion, and the sooner we reflect that in the world around us in terms of participation and power across ALL sectors of society, the better off we will be as a species.

Are you optimistic that we will have achieved gender equality by 2030?

We CAN and we MUST. Gender Equality Interview Series, Kamala Lopez

What will it take to achieve gender equality by 2030? / Why is it so difficult to achieve gender equality? Gender Equality Interview Series, Kamala Lopez

What is missing right now, which no one wants to admit, is the WILL and true INTENT by major players on the world stage to right this wrong, take the necessary steps. Not only is power difficult to share, but the illegal profits of gender discrimination being made off our backs are astronomical and addictive – every day, every hour, every woman – from 22% to 56% more bang for your buck, stealing from us.

Until we recognize that greed is NOT good, despite the propaganda claiming otherwise, that it is in fact a disease and a plague to humanity, it will be difficult to achieve gender equality. If nations, companies and individuals continue to advance the misguided philosophy that we are living in a hierarchical world order where there are “winners” and “losers” instead of shifting the paradigm to recognize that we are all linked to one another and must collaborate, we are in big trouble.

We must admit that, in general terms, we do not respect women. We must face the bias, both conscious and unconscious and recognize that as the dangerous and dangerously old-fashioned point of view that it is.  The change needs to come NOW.

What actions and achievements related to advancing gender equality are you most proud of?

For the past eight years I have been immersed in a study of the areas of gender discrimination where we have laws that putatively protect women. This investigation became the film Equal Means Equal wherein those laws are shown to be what they actually are: smoke and mirrors.

The film has the opportunity to educate the vast majority of the American public who believe that men and women are already guaranteed equality under the U.S. Constitution – which they are not. I am very excited that today the state of Nevada finally ratified the Equal Rights Amendment, after 35 years of inaction. If I had any small part in that, I’m damn proud. Gender Equality Interview Series, Kamala Lopez

Do you have any advice to other business leaders who don’t know where and how to start?

My advice is to first take a good hard look at your own company or organization and make certain that you are not discriminating against women in pay or promotions. Do an internal gender audit of your own volition. If you find that somehow you are discriminating – rectify it. Speak to the women at your company, ask them to tell you what is not working for them (and actually want to hear it!) Then create policies and programs that take their needs into account and provide for them.

One of the most remarkable things about gender discrimination is the assumptions society makes about children. We must recognize that creating other human beings is not the sole purview nor responsibility of women. It takes two to tango and it should take at least that many to raise children and shoulder that burden. Gen der Equality Interview Series, Kamala Lopez

Companies must no longer pretend the old model of the euro-centric nuclear family with a stay-at-home mother and a breadwinner father who makes enough money to support the family exists. That is over. Most of us have to work now.

It is a serious and unmet social responsibility that we have not addressed the unpaid labor of child rearing — all-too-conveniently left to the woman. Dropping out of the workforce to bear and raise children has such a profound effect on the economic bottom line of women as to be almost insurmountable. Re-entering the workforce, they suffer a “motherhood penalty” when they perform the socially important service of reproduction. It is right and proper that these issues be discussed and solutions found, not just in the particular family, but in the society itself as part of the underpinning structure.

Mar

Gender Equality at Deloitte Canada

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The following is written by Deloitte Canada, Host Sponsor of The Gender Equality Forum 2017.

At Deloitte, we recognize that inclusion is key to solving the most complex and pressing issues facing our clients and communities. We aspire to be the most inclusive professional services firm in Canada, one essential reason we believe Deloitte is the sought-after destination for Canada’s top talent. gender equality deloitte canada

We actively support and advocate for gender equality in corporate leadership and on boards. Achieving this will benefit our firm, our clients and our country. That’s why Deloitte contributed to the development of the Women’s Empowerment Principles – and why we were among the first organizations to sign the statement of support in 2010.

In fact, inclusion is so important to our mission that our Managing Partner and Chief Executive, Frank Vettese, assumed the role of Chief Inclusion Officer last year. He has long shown unwavering support for women and for championing diversity and inclusion at Deloitte, receiving the prestigious UN Women’s Empowerment Principles’ Cultural Change for Empowerment Leadership Award in 2015.

This championship approach has been adopted by our firm’s entire leadership team. They are held accountable for advancing diversity and inclusion within the firm on a number of fronts: gender equality deloitte canada

By ensuring new partner admissions are increasingly diverse each year, including building the representation of women and visible minorities.
Leaders of our service areas are as accountable for inclusion goals as they are for others, such as financial growth.
By signing the Catalyst accord in April 2014, the firm altered its board by-laws with a commitment to having at least 25 percent women on our Canadian Board of Directors. At present, we have exceeded that goal: we currently have 40 percent women on our board, and 22 percent on our leadership team.

The business case for inclusion gender equality deloitte canada

We believe diversity and inclusion is a business imperative. Our 2016 report, The future belongs to the bold, for example, ties inclusion to business performance. The report shows that courageous companies drive stronger outcomes by following five tenets, including “unite to include.” Our research also found that courageous businesses pursue growth more aggressively than their fearful peers. And that while only 11 percent of Canadian businesses were found to be truly courageous, 30 percent are on the cusp of it.

Encouraging diversity of thought is also a key driver of growth as having people from diverse backgrounds, with different experiences, thinking styles and capabilities increases our ability to think innovatively. We also know a focus on inclusion and gender equality helps us recruit and develop top talent, allowing us to better reflect the composition of our clients’ organizations and broadens our perspectives to improve decision-making.

To that end, we have implemented a number of internal initiatives to support diversity and inclusion across the organization. An example of this is our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), which are self-governing communities that conduct sessions featuring role models and provide an opportunity for employees to build professional networks. Our women’s network, canWIN, recently conducted a pilot session in collaboration with Catalyst called, Engaging Men in Gender Equality, to help male colleagues understand how inclusion matters and how men can play a key role in creating change. We also have a Career Moms & Deloitte Dads group dedicated to the needs of working parents and the societal impacts of caregiving roles. gender equality deloitte canada

Many of our diversity & inclusion initiatives are aimed at developing and meeting the needs of women, and helping them cultivate their leadership skills, business acumen, professional networks and career opportunities. However, we must also ensure that the elements of professional development that have been historically missing for women – such as career advocacy and help navigating career paths – are in place.

We know we are having an impact in the marketplace by developing thought leadership on inclusion, embedding it in our market strategy and leading the dialogue on inclusion in external forums and with our clients. We continue to foster deep relationships with a cross-section of inclusion-related organizations. For example, Deloitte Canada is one of the founding partners, along with Catalyst Canada and McKinsey, of #GoSponsorHer, a campaign designed to drive increased levels of sponsorship of women with a publicly stated commitment via social media. In addition to serving as a sponsor himself, Frank Vettese also challenged the 32 other members of the leadership team to sponsor a high-potential woman in the firm as part of this program.

Finally, as we cultivate and deepen relationships with key external organizations, we are focused on driving diversity and inclusion in Canadian society, building a better future for us all.

The courageous challenge is to shift the positioning of Diversity and Inclusion to one of Diversity to Inclusion. One continues to count our differences …the other welcomes us all, mentors us all and unites us all on a courageous path forward to build Canada at 175. Without a union of the full diversity of our country, inclusion is hollow, but without shifting from a measuring of differences to a unification of strengths, we will not achieve the future that we need. – Duncan Sinclair, Vice Chair, Deloitte

Mar

The Gender Equality Interview Series: Mary Jackson, Chief Officer, Professional Resources at Blakes

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In light of the Gender Equality Forum 2017, we interviewed Mary Jackson, Chief Officer, Professional Resources at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, and asked the following questions on Gender Equality, Women’s Empowerment, and more.

Why is Gender Equality important to you / Blakes?

A focus on gender equality is important in order for any business to recruit, retain and promote its best talent. We know that our clients benefit when we bring diverse perspectives and insights to the table, and we know that our corporate culture is more engaging, open and innovative because we embrace diversity in all its forms. I think gender equality, like diversity, is an important part of any good corporate social responsibility policy – it’s the right thing to do and we all benefit from it.

Are you optimistic that we will have achieved gender equality by 2030?

I would wish nothing more than to get there by 2030, but I think gender equality will take us longer to achieve. Within my own lifetime, I have witnessed uneven progress, and recent developments in the world have made me realize how fragile the gains that women have made are. I think we need to be vigilant to protect and enhance women’s rights. While we may suffer setbacks, I also believe that there is hope for continued progress, as women and men from different cultures around the world work together and engage in discussions that challenge the normative frameworks that support gender inequality.

What will it take to achieve gender equality by 2030? Why is it so difficult to achieve gender equality?

I think achieving gender equality is a slow process because the roots of gender inequality are ingrained in most cultures and belief systems. Changing that takes time. It is difficult to even agree on what constitutes a meaningful measure of equality. What I do hope is that more progress will be made and that progress will be shown to be consistent with more positive outcomes in all aspects of life for all people within the community.

Over the last five years, the representation of women on our Executive Committee has increased to more than 30 per cent.

What actions and achievements related to advancing gender equality are you most proud of?

I am proud of contributing to and being part of a firm that continues to focus on the issue of gender equality. Over the last five years, the representation of women on our Executive Committee has increased to more than 30 per cent. I am very involved in the partnership admission process, and we have seen an increase in the percentage of women who enter the partnership. I have also worked with women professionals before and after parental leaves to help them pursue successful careers in a very demanding profession while maintaining their commitments to themselves and their families. I have worked with others to enhance our commitment to the training and development of women lawyers – whether that be in a program focused on developing women’s business development skills or broader training on networking and presentations. I have been happy to see that more men are engaging in the issue of retaining and developing women within the profession of law.

Coming up with a plan to fast-track gender equality and implement it may take an effort, but it’s not just the right thing to do, it also makes sense on a business level

Do you have any advice for other business leaders who don’t know where and how to start?

My advice for any organization would be to start by looking at the gender inequities in their company and determining which ones could be dealt with more easily. Dialogue is key. Starting the discussion on gender equality so that everyone is included and engaged can be a challenge, but it is a valuable investment. Coming up with a plan to fast-track gender equality and implement it may take an effort, but it’s not just the right thing to do, it also makes sense on a business level.

Mar

International Development Research Centre (IDRC)’s Support to Women’s Economic Empowerment

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The following article is written by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Networking Sponsor of The Gender Equality Forum 2017.

Much has been done over the last few decades to reduce absolute poverty in the developing world. However, despite these efforts increasing inequality is exacerbating the experience of poverty in the very same areas where absolute poverty has declined. There is an economic cost to rising inequality. Research by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) shows that growth in income of the poorest has a greater positive effect on gross domestic product (GDP) than income growth in other segments of the population. The research shows, in fact, that income growth of the wealthiest actually reduces GDP growth.

Through the Employment and Growth (E&G) program, Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) promotes inclusive economies by enhancing the opportunities of vulnerable groups, particularly women and youth. Through the program, IDRC is currently supporting over 75 projects in 80 countries to generate innovative research to identify pragmatic and context-appropriate solutions to unemployment and economic inequality.

Women continue to face economic, social and cultural challenges that limit their access to markets, quality jobs, and entrepreneurship opportunities. This holds back whole economies. Recognizing that women are among the most excluded, women’s economic empowerment is one of E&G’s thematic priorities.

IDRC’s approach favours collaboration with government bodies, international organizations, civil society organizations, and the private sector, and actively involves women and youth. Our approach shines through programs such as the Growth and Economic Opportunities for Women (GrOW) program, a collaboration with IDRC, the United Kingdom Department for International Development, and the Flora and Hewlett Foundation where researchers are exploring ways to unleash women’s economic potential in 50 countries.

In Kenya, GrOW-supported research is showing how community-based child care affects not just women’s employment choices, but their overall wellbeing. Early findings in Nairobi’s Korogocho slum show that children who attend the daycares get sick less often, which in turn helps their mothers focus on other priorities. In Bangladesh, GrOW research on work and education impacts of child marriage suggests that even small incentives, such as a modest cooking oil subsidy tied to school attendance, can delay marriage. Girls aged 15-17 whose families received $16 per year in cooking oil if they stayed unmarried until age 18 were 25% more likely to complete secondary school. This in turn can improve girls’ longer-term education and employment outcomes.

In 2016, GrOW contributed to the United Nation’s High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment, a multi-stakeholder panel established by the Secretary General to provide leadership on improving economic outcomes for women and girls in support of Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender Equality. The GrOW team led consultations on enhancing the productivity of women-owned enterprises, female entrepreneurship and addressing women’s role in the care economy. This resulted in the voices of 50 local organizations involved with GrOW to be heard and integrated in the High-Level Panel’s report.

Another example of a collaboration with the private sector is with WEConnect International, a global network that links women-owned businesses to qualified buyers around the world. As of 2016, more than 600 businesses had registered in India, with 60 certified to supply large companies. These connections helped generate over US$127 million in sales annually and employ more than 4,600 people. With IDRC support, WEConnect plans to replicate the success of its Indian pilot test in another 17 developing countries.

Other examples of capitalizing on successful approaches is our partnership with Proyecto Capital. Since its inception, Proyecto Capital’s financial inclusion program has signed 14 agreements with banks and credit unions in Latin America and the Caribbean, aided in the transfer of over six million conditional cash transfers, and over 1.8 million recipient have received financial education. Together with funding from the Ford Foundation, Proyecto Capital is able to scale up their impact in countries where they have already seen success as well as expand to a handful of new countries. Part of this partnership will allow them to focus not only on women, but also on poor youth, indigenous groups and afro-descendants.

We are also exploring inclusive business models that embrace social and environmental objectives along with economic goals. In partnership with Sistema B, which supports ‘B Corps’ certification for those pursuing a triple bottom line, we are developing a research agenda on the potential for these companies to build women’s business leadership and generate economic opportunities for marginalized women and youth.

These examples demonstrate that IDRC is committed to fostering collaboration that helps to bridge the inequality gaps between men and women and create a more equitable global pattern of growth. By generating insights that feed into broader discussions on how to advance gender equality, IDRC contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG5.

About IDRC

As part of Canada’s foreign affairs and development efforts, IDRC invests in knowledge, innovation, and solutions to improve the lives of people in the developing world.

Bringing together the right partners around opportunities for impact, IDRC builds leaders for today and tomorrow and helps drive change for those who need it most.

For more information, contact eg@idrc.ca

Mar

Gender Equality at Rubach Wealth

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The following article is written by Rubach Wealth, Networking Sponsor of The Gender Equality Forum 2017.

Building a Philanthropic Legacy: What about the Women?

Ask someone which big names spring to mind when you mention philanthropy and chances are they’ll mention people like Bill Gates, Warren Buffet or Li Ka-shing. If you’re talking specifically about Canada, perhaps you’ll hear David Suzuki, Jim Balsillie or Jim Pattison. But what about the women? People might mention Oprah, or they might simply scratch their head.

Why the disparity? There is no shortage of highly successful women within Canada and globally with the means and desire to give back to their communities, but for some reason, there seems to be a lack of meaningful discussion about how women can build a legacy.

In the spirit of gender equality, this needs to change.

Make your mark

For women and men alike, it is a privilege to be in a position where your hard work and good fortune enable you to start thinking about giving back to your community.

When you reach the point of sharing your wealth, it takes on greater meaning and allows you to build a legacy. As a successful woman, you have the potential to enrich the lives of others and do something special for your community, your country or beyond.

The big question is how to go about doing this. Your legacy could come about by accident, but if you want to have a great impact on your terms, you need a plan.

Make it personal

Planning a legacy means deciding what will happen to your wealth beyond your use of it. Your legacy is not for you, but it should be about you in the sense that it should reflect your values, hopes, and dreams.

So what do you stand for? What causes are you passionate about? Children’s health or education? Environmental protection? Other women? Literacy?

You may find yourself overwhelmed by the options, so here are a few things to consider when you’re choosing where to direct your money:
• Do your core values align with a specific cause or organization?
• Are you or someone you care about personally affected by an issue?
• Is there a cause you think needs more attention?
• Are there organizations you already support that you’d like to do more for?

If you plan to play a role in supporting a specific cause – whether through active engagement or behind-the-scenes patronage – you’re far more likely to make a significant impact if it’s an issue you feel strongly about. In addition, the results of your efforts will be more personally rewarding when you make a difference in an area that’s close to your heart.

Create a lasting impact

One-off donations to charitable causes are valued by their recipients and can be extremely helpful. However, once they’re given and received, that’s it.

If you prefer to create a legacy that will touch the lives of others for years or even generations to come, there are alternatives. With the right planning and financial tools, you can set up a scholarship, fund an annual research grant or even establish your own charity to brighten countless lives.

Another way to expand and extend your impact is to collaborate with others to direct your joint resources, networks and passions into driving an initiative forward. Could you strengthen your legacy by drawing in your family and friends to join the cause? Or is there perhaps an organization you could partner with to match your gift? Imagine if you started a movement! Don’t be afraid to think outside the box – the sky’s the limit when it comes to your charitable legacy.

Seek out guidance

Being a strong, independent woman doesn’t mean you have to face every journey alone. When it comes to planning your legacy, a financial expert in charitable giving can serve as a sounding board and provide valuable advice.

For example, a financial advisor can help you:
• Align your philanthropic plans with the core values and issues that matter most to you and your family
• Identify a plan to involve your family – today and in the future
• Take advantage of tax efficiencies and benefits to maximize the impact of your legacy

Families and organizations are strongest when the people within them work together as a team. The same is true for your efforts to create a meaningful legacy – you can boost your potential for success by working with a trusted partner or team that understands your thinking, challenges, goals and attitudes toward giving back.

The desire to help others is universal and gender-neutral. With a thoughtful approach and targeted support, we can help women like you play a greater role in building lasting legacies and making the world a brighter place. As with everything, when there is greater gender equality in philanthropy, everyone benefits.

Mar

The Gender Equality Interview Series: Helen Scott, Executive Director of CanWaCH

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In light of the Gender Equality Forum 2017, we interviewed Helen Scott, Executive Director of the Canadian Partnership for Women and Children’s Health, for an interview and asked the following questions on Gender Equality, Women’s Empowerment, and more. Gender Equality Interview Series Helen Scott, of CanWaCH Gender Equality

Why is Gender Equality important to you / CanWaCH?

Making advancements in reaching gender equality for girls, boys, women and men, is the cornerstone of a more equitable world where both the needs of the individual and of society are better served. Talking about gender equality is also critical for when we speak about reaching the right to health for those traditionally left behind, often and overwhelmingly women, adolescents and girls. When an individual and a community have knowledge of, and access to, their health related rights, general wellbeing drastically improves and opens up vast opportunities and possibilities. This looks like receiving an education, being well-equipped to enter the workforce, and making decisions about our own bodies, including the age women bear children and the spacing between bearing children. Working towards gender equality, especially in the scope of access to health related rights, is central to CanWaCH — a network of over 100 Canadian NGOs, academic institutions and health professional associations who work in over 1000 regions globally. It is critical in our work of improving the lives of women and children in the world’s poorest countries and ensuring that every woman, adolescent and child survives, thrives, and accesses their right to health with dignity.

Are you optimistic that we will get to Gender Equality by 2030?

It has been a good news story for many: as the sun set on the Millennium Development Goals, the global community celebrated a 45% decline in maternal mortality and an over 50% decline in child mortality since 1990 and 2.4 million lives saved since 2010. Overall, there have been huge gains in reducing mortality, promoting accountability for women and children, cultivating innovation, generating research and supporting monitoring and evaluation, activities that all positively impact moving the needle on gender equality.

On the global stage, wonderful movements such as Every Women Every Child, Women Deliver and Girls 20, plus all of their local partners, are doing incredible work to support gender equality initiatives, now gaining traction at an unprecedented rate. Global leadership is also voicing this issue more than ever before, including Canada who has put women and girls and a feminist foreign policy at the heart of its international aid framework. Gender Equality Interview Series Helen Scott of CanWaCH

Now, a lot of work remains to be done and especially for those who are hardest to reach, such as adolescent girls. By working together through the power of partnership, I am optimistic that we will make remarkable strides in SDG 5, which will positively translate to strides in other SDGs, and in Gender Equality by 2030.

What will it take to achieve Gender Equality by 2030? / Why is it so difficult to achieve Gender Equality? Gender Equality Interview Series Helen Scott, of CanWaCH

Equality for every woman, adolescent and child starts with supporting the survive agenda and through respecting their rights, including their health-related rights everywhere; yet, despite tremendous progress serious gaps remain. To address uneven progress to date, we must continue our existing work and expand our efforts by deliberately investing in the people, places, policies and interventions that were too often neglected by the global agenda. Gender Equality Interview Series Helen Scott, of CanWaCH

Key to achieving gender equality will be adopting gender transformative approaches. A gender transformative approach means placing an intentional priority on addressing social and cultural norms that perpetuate inequality in all forms throughout policy and programming. It means fundamentally changing efforts to focus not just on changing the conditions of the most excluded, but on changing power relations and the social position of women and girls in the household and in society that result in them having choice, empowerment and autonomy. This process should take into account the local context and must involve community and faith leaders, local civil society partners, and boys and men.

In addition to gender, intersectionality should be focused on- to understand women and girls not as homogenous groups, but as individuals facing different overlapping vulnerabilities (such as age, class, race and culture) that must be addressed by working at multiple levels at once. Gender Equality Interview Series Helen Scott, of CanWaCHH

What actions and achievements related to achieving Gender Equality are you most proud of?

Along the way there have been massive platforms that, without, advancements in gender equality would not be where is currently is. This includes:

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is established as the first global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.
Commemorating International Women’s Day
1995 Beijing Platform for Action
Landmark UN resolution 1325 on Women Peace and Security;
True inspirations and change makers like Malala Yousafzai: “We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.

With that being said, as a Canadian, one achievement that I am most proud of is Canada’s commitment and leadership to women and children’s health. This commitment is multiparty, non-partisan and unwavering and delivers results!

Do you have any advice to businesses that don’t know where and how to start?

When wanting to contribute to change, including progress in gender equality, it is imperative to engage and understand the perspectives, needs and priorities of the individuals and groups who you seek to make a difference with and adopting a “nothing about her without her” approach. Participation of women, adolescents and girls themselves is critical to determining what is working and what is not – especially in the nexus between the social context in which they seek equal access to services and the efficacy of the services they receive. As well, community participation should be supported at all levels, in particular the voices of women and youth, to inform good programming, promote accountability and realize human rights. Local governments and civil society should also be engaged. Gender Equality Interview Series Helen Scott, of CanWaCH

Mar

Gender Equality at Agrium

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The following article is written by Agrium Inc., Bronze Sponsor of The Gender Equality Forum 2017.

Agrium’s support of Principle 4: Promote education, training, and professional development for women

Women’s Inclusion – Driving Career Progress

With women making up over half of the world population and over 47% of the workforce in North America, Agrium, like many organizations, is working to ensure women are employed in meaningful ways. We realize it is not enough though to just supply jobs. We need to provide women with opportunities to reach their full career potential within our organization. professional development for women at agrium

In 2004, the Agrium Women’s Leadership Group was started as a grassroots organization with the vision to recognize, develop and enable the potential for women. From its origins as a small networking group in Calgary, the recently renamed Women’s Inclusion Network (WIN) has grown to reach all women across our global company through local chapters in office locations and at production sites, and a virtual network to connect women in small, rural locations. professional development for women at agrium

WIN is committed to creating an environment where women are recognized and appreciated for the skills and talents they bring to the business. Interactive learning sessions, skill development programs and opportunities to network with senior leaders are organized by volunteers at local chapters to meet the needs of their specific locations. In addition to the learning from these sessions, organizers benefit from building project management skills, expand their network by working with employees in different areas of the business and build their profile through exposure to senior leaders.

Mentorship Success

As part of the focus on building skill competencies and networks, WIN started a formal mentoring program in 2011. Research shows that having a mentor helps individuals with career development and learning, yet women are less likely to seek out or ask for a mentor. In order to help level the playing field, WIN introduced a formal mentorship program to test the interest of individuals. The original goal was to match 12 women with 12 mentors (male or female) who could provide direction and guidance. The response was so strong that the pilot group was expanded to 23 pairs.

We communicated regularly with participants during the 12-month pilot, and both mentors and protégés said they found benefit in the relationship. From this initial pilot, the program was opened to Agrium’s professional women in North America, Europe and Australia. Since 2011, over 260 pairs of mentors and protégés have been matched, and many of the protégés have experienced career growth since participating in the program.

Leadership Development

In 2015, we built on that success with the launch of a pilot women’s leadership development program. With respect to research data that indicated that companies with high numbers of women leadership had better financial performance than companies with low levels of leadership (up to 35% in some cases),1 we investigated our internal process for hiring senior leaders. We found there was a great opportunity to help prepare our female middle managers for leadership roles through an in-depth development program.

After extensive consultation with executive leadership, the Women’s Inclusion Network Advisory Council launched an internal two-year program focused on skill development and sponsorship. In the area of skill development, candidates designed personal career development plans, received training on leadership skills, participated in personal development programs such as Speaking as a Leader and received personal coaching from an external resource.

In light of research indicating that sponsorship can have a stronger influence on career advancement than either skill development or mentorship, sponsorship was a key focus of the program. Like a mentor, a sponsor can offer insight and guidance – but a sponsor actively works to advance the career of a protégé – promoting, protecting, preparing and pushing her forward. Despite the known benefits of having a sponsor, women are 54% less likely than men to have one. That’s why we made sure to provide the candidates with access to a formal sponsorship program that included a selection of senior leaders from different areas of the business. professional development for women at agrium

Results and feedback on the program were positive. Of the six candidates who participated, one was promoted to a senior management position, two made lateral development moves and four candidates say they have increased their skills for the next level. As with all pilot programs, we came away with key learnings to improve the program, and those insights are being incorporated into the next phase program to be launched this year under the name Accelerate. professional development for women at agrium

Agrium’s leadership is pleased with the progress WIN has made in helping to advance the careers of women, but there is much more work to be done. As we move into the next phase of this long-term strategy, our objective is to continue to see more women taking on leadership roles and an increase in the number of qualified women we hire, retain and promote throughout the company. As our industry and our customers change, investing in our female talent will position Agrium as a global leader in sustainable development for both agriculture and women’s equity. professional development for women at agrium

1 Catalyst, The Bottom Line: Connecting Corporate Performance and Gender Diversity (2004).

Feb

The Gender Equality Interview Series: Dominic Barton, Global Managing Partner of McKinsey

Gender Equality, Interviews, Women's Empowerment PrinciplesglobalcompactCANo Comment

In light of the Gender Equality Forum 2017, we interviewed Dominic Barton, global managing partner of McKinsey, for an interview and asked the following questions on Gender Equality, Women’s Empowerment, and more. Dominic Barton, of McKinsey

Why is gender equality important to you / McKinsey?

For us it’s quite simple — we have a dual mission to create lasting impact for our clients and to be an unrivaled environment for exceptional people. We simply cannot do that if we don’t have the absolute best talent in the world, which to me means having equal representation of women and men in the Firm. Dominic Barton, of McKinsey

Are you optimistic that we will get to Gender Equality 2030?

I think that there has been some progress, but it has been slow given the ambitious goal we are all trying to achieve. However, I am optimistic that we can all achieve gender equality by 2030 because the dialogue has changed — nobody questions whether or not this is a valuable goal. Instead, executives all around the world are focused on implementing changes that promote gender equality in their organizations.

What will it take to achieve Gender Equality 2030? Why is it so difficult to achieve Gender Equality? Dominic Barton, of McKinsey

True gender equality in the workforce requires huge culture change given the many issues at play, ranging from unconscious bias to women’s rights and protection under the law. At the company level, we see that structural changes such as flexibility programmes and diversity policies are only half the battle — real change comes when you equip individual managers to be inclusive leaders and actively support diversity on their teams.

What actions and achievements related to achieving Gender Equality are you most proud of?

I am very proud when I see individual leaders in our Firm taking a stand for diversity. For example, our Italian office managing partner insisted that his office get to 50% female hires in the most recent recruiting cycle. Dominic Barton, of McKinsey

Do you have any advice to other business leaders that don’t know where and how to start?

It takes a lot of effort from the top to push forward gender equality in the workplace. This includes constant communication from the CEO and his or her top team that this is a priority for the organisation and a relentless focus on tracking progress.

Feb

The Gender Equality Interview Series: Casar Jacobson, Former Miss Canada

Gender Equality, Interviews, Women's Empowerment PrinciplesglobalcompactCANo Comment

In light of the Gender Equality Forum 2017, we interviewed Casar Jacobson, Former Miss Canada for an interview and asked the following questions on Gender Equality, Women’s Empowerment, and more. Casar is a deaf international entrepreneur and has been published in industry leading magazines, seen on tv, heard on radio and had commercial success – and having been former Miss Canada 2013 National title winner and global Miss Globe Peace in 2012 on an international level.

1. Tell us about the challenges you faced as a young female, entrepreneur, and person with a disability and how you overcame them.

Being deaf has its own obstacles, be that as it may, being an entrepreneur symbolizes that you have an appetite to be independent and society has yet to fully adapt to the idea that this is possible with the outcome of success, but that can be our advantage if we take the necessary steps.

I have interviewed deaf and hard of hearing individuals, the topic of ‘deaf’ covers many grounds with how they identify with being deaf and if their network is ‘hearing’ and they’re deaf, or if they’ve recently lost their hearing or were born hard of hearing or deaf; finally we arrive at if they have desire and an understanding of their market in business.

Being deaf you have to pursue your passion with purpose and skill as you would if you could hear; your needs as a deaf entrepreneur are simply much different and educating others on your specific needs will encourage them to build a relationship with you.

As a deaf entrepreneur, I have to lay groundwork before I start an entrepreneurial task and overcoming them is simply communication and the means in which we communicate and an understanding of the Deaf Culture.

The biggest challenge and ironically ‘answer’ is what I dubbed ‘The Bridge’ because it’s the route from you to the person you’re communicating with, that is what business/relationships are about; every bridge varies and often there are hurdles.

The differently abled have to be creative with this bridge before implementing strategy or gaining knowledge or access if the other side of ‘The Bridge’ is not one of patience/knowledge/understanding amidst your perseverance/non-negotiable attitude it impedes on future opportunity on a larger scale.

By educating society and those we work alongside or desire to work alongside with about what is required for the Deaf/differently abled we lower anxiety & raise awareness to ease the communication bridge.

If everyone knew Sign Language, would being deaf be a disability? In the last half of the 20th-century educational opportunities have increased for us and occasionally you will be able to talk someone into bringing on a translator as part of their ‘right’ but this is not wildly accepted as the norm or even considered in many countries. We do not expect someone born and raised in New Jersey, USA to speak fluent Tamil or Malay while visiting Singapore; this is a gap in communication – the same goes in business, whether we have the same ability or not.

Mindset, behind around a positive environment and groups of people who want to further themselves who are themselves diverse, challenging myself to both verbal & Sign Language environments. I ask for someone to be very clear about the intent of their need for something they wish for me to carry out (e/g a speech, a write-up, an event, I may not pick up on sarcasm due to tonality.. etc)

Being deaf you have to pursue your passion with purpose and skill as you would if you could hear; your needs as a deaf entrepreneur are simply much different and educating others on your specific needs will encourage them to build a relationship with you.

There are stigmas behind pageants, behind females in business & leadership, and behind being deaf. Just as being deaf and a female entrepreneur is a minority so is being successful at it and as deaf females, our hindrances that we find can be the very thing that allows us to catapult forward if we embrace opportunity both with a powerful engaging mindset and collect ideas from our group to work together. The bigger the female entrepreneurial voice is, the more understanding they’ll be of sub-categorical minorities amidst this.

There are companies or individuals who approach myself or someone I know who is deaf and will experience kickback because they’re unsure they’re capable. It takes one or two times engaging in what they perceive you cannot do for them to realize you can, you have to be bold, aggressive, and passionate, eventually it can become the mark that separates you in a positive manner.

Transformation has happened and it is still happening nevertheless as the world changes we have to course shift to grasp the reign on our 2030-mark.

2. Are you optimistic that we will achieve Gender Equality by 2030?

We have a profound pandemic creating a positive wave in this category, historical change with agreement in signed governments to make way for this agenda, strong backed goals and empowered individuals walking the walk, however, statistically still behind. (WEF)

“Argentines taking to the streets to protest femicide” or – as often mentioned – the “ever changing emoji’s that represent equality” – we are moving forward socially in some economies and perhaps forgetting that the easiest way to find a needle in a haystack (haystack being the 50/50 agenda) is not by removing the straw piece-by-piece but rather to light the haystack on fire; a stitch in time saves 9 and in this case could be 9x longer than anticipated if we do not quickly address War crimes and the sexual violence is still happening. Protesting and changing technology that doesn’t improve opportunity for both genders will slow the pace down giving the calendar an ever deceiving timeline on achieving this by 2030.

About two-thirds of countries in the developing regions have achieved gender unity in fundamentals of education, I’m optimistic it’s changing effectively.

Transformation has happened and it is still happening nevertheless as the world changes we have to course shift to grasp the reign on our 2030-mark.

Last but not least, we need to halt child marriage, understand that education in some ways needs to be gender sensitive while not segregating skill/knowledge amongst the genders.

3. What will it take to achieve Gender Equality by 2030? / Why is it so difficult to achieve Gender Equality?

Despite a woman’s proven abilities as a leader and their right to participate equally in democratic governance, women are underrepresented in noted positions and as voters globally.

It’s important to note percentage differences amongst businesses/groups that bring on women in leadership roles and mark the increase in profit/success calculating specifically the roles the genders are playing to see the percentage difference. There are Fortune 500 companies, for example, their ROI was increased when represented/led by women but still is a minority. Interview with Casar Jacobson, former miss Canada

As young women, our voices have to be heard. Many do not have the confidence or cultural based diversity. Women and young girls get kick-back and are reluctant to react, especially when they have social media bombarding, degrading, judging/critiquing us for being imperfect or lesser valued. Let’s focus on opportunity itself rather than everything we sacrifice so that collectively we can move mountains.

Studies have shown many young girls and women do not feel worthy of voice or their voice is of less authority, as a norm in their culture. You are worthy, wherever you are right now you are worthy and though you may only be one girl to the world – your voice can impact just one woman/girl and it will be a ripple effect that changes everything. We are imperfect, we are flawed, we live in an imperfect world that’s also flawed; that is the beauty – women and young girls have an opportunity to kick right back.

As women and young girls we feel we have to adhere to a feminine role all-the-while expressing equality and living up not only to past expectations but to the future career orientated aspirations within societies view on gender equality, and with change, comes struggle. Society shouldn’t impede on our voice, our internal driver has a force many do not talk about but new roars from young girls and women are!

Recent studies now show that what drives humans more than biological/profit/praise is the desire to be part of something ‘bigger’ than themselves with a need to have and pursue purpose to creating fulfilment. Psychology plays a much larger role than we realize. Temporary motivations will end in slowly diminishing performance, what we are seeing is a flux where efforts diminish when paid in praise/award/monetary & and women want to display their ingenuity, passion, & education now that opportunities and change have sprouted. Many open access templates grew to the largest profitable organizations today that are some of the largest companies once founded on volunteer open access due to purpose and passion. Interview with Casar Jacobson, former miss Canada

Last but not least, we need to halt child marriage, understand that education in some ways needs to be gender sensitive while not segregating skill/knowledge amongst the genders. Mother should be empowered and give value to ‘women’s work’ while encouraging women into non-traditional occupational roles in order to confidentially say we deserve equal pay, take backlash seriously (sexual and verbal harassment, lack of comfort of a woman in a predominantly male workforce, also support male roles in taking part of previously predominant female roles i.e. at home with children) this works both ways.

We know that empowering women and girls brings advantage to businesses, communities globally. Interview with Casar Jacobson, former miss Canada

An emotional driver that separates women is we have a tendency to oversee an array of factors in regards to a decision or opportunity that would excel our career. It’s important we have empathy, never leave that behind, but we have to tread with deep footprints towards our goals.

5. What can boys and girls do to push the gender equality agenda?

Men’s power over women in many contexts necessitates working with men to change the conditions of women’s lives. Strategizing how men and women focus groups. Alternative peer groups Extracurricular studies to prepare for post-secondary to come out with more education which can lead to increase in wages & opportunities. Boys and girls enjoy ‘creating’ to be a part of change, allowing them to come up with ideas can engage them on a level that directing them sometimes fails to and they’ll create their own volunteer army towards campaigning and acting towards goals gender neutral activities/games inculcating stereotypical attitudes and behaviors in girls and boys.

6. What is some advice you would give to aspirational women and young girls who are trying to leave their mark on the world?

An emotional driver that separates women is we have a tendency to oversee an array of factors in regards to a decision or opportunity that would excel our career. It’s important we have empathy, never leave that behind, but we have to tread with deep footprints towards our goals. Interview with Casar Jacobson, former miss Canada

We live in a world where society is asking the elephant to climb a tree, with the monkey being the marker of success. If we lived in a world where there were only one species of animal – the world then cease’s to exist. Much so, so are the drives of difference in humanity as it drives the economy and creates diversity – with diversity comes struggle and with struggle, we desire change.

I sat in a meeting a few years ago whilst colleagues spoke of their trip climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, a dormant volcano in Tanzania (highest mountain in Africa 5,895 meters above sea level), they would travel-a-lot in the dark and said-colleague asked the Tanzanian why it was they climbed predominantly when it was dark; the local replied “many people see clearly their destination and give up before they start” – women, more than men, often have a tendency to oversee events, decisions, and outcomes and therefore decide ‘now’ is not a good time. Women have had a historical tendency to fight the urge to take care of those around us while fulfilling our potential in education/career. We can attain and achieve more changing the course of history for women.

Being authentic and speaking about a weakness allows other women/young girls know that you’re approachable. Confidence is not about ego. Be the beautifully flawed individual you are, we make mistakes and it doesn’t have to define you, failure means you’ve tried but you still must give your best effort and proceed moving forward without quitting. Should you ‘fail’ try again or strive for another method to reach your goal. You could be the individual that the next young girl or woman needed to inspire her inner fire that could expedite the current domino affect with equality.

We give power to what we give attention to, we don’t have to walk in the dark because obstacle kickbacks stagnate the timeline between where you are now and where you’re going. Interview with Casar Jacobson, former miss Canada

Casar Jacobson
www.casarjacobson.com
@CasarJacobson

Casar is a speaker for The Gender Equality Forum 2017. Read her bio »