5 ways to encourage gender equality in the workplace
According to research by ICM, 42% say they don’t feel looked after by their company, compared with just 30% of men, suggesting that gender inequality in the workplace is still very much an issue in the UK.
Worryingly, the UK failed to make the top 10 in the 2015 Global Gender Gap survey carried out by the World Economic Forum, coming in at position 18. While this is an improvement of 8 places from the 2014 position (26), it still sees the UK lagging behind Nicaragua, Namibia and South Africa.
Promoting equality isn’t difficult, but it does need employers to be fully committed to supporting it to achieve a balanced, diverse workforce. Below we outline 5 key ways businesses can encourage gender equality.
1) Rethink the recruitment process
Promoting gender equality starts with the recruitment process. Review job adverts to make sure they don’t favour one sex over the other, and ensure selection procedures are transparent.
Pay should also be transparent. According to the OECD, the gender wage gap is still 17%. Too many times the question of salary expectations crops up in interviews, and women consistently ask for less than men.
Men and women who do the same job should be paid the same, but this is still not happening. Equal treatment should also be applied to training and promotion.
2) Don’t limit your talent pool
Women make up more than half the population, so why aren’t more companies split evenly? Ideally, businesses should aim for a 50-50 gender split in all their teams, right up to board level.
Why not run campaigns to attract women to areas that are typically dominated by men, such as technology and finance?
3) Make engagement a priority
Although pay is an important part of achieving gender equality, the right work-life balance is also key to retaining talented female employees who may have, or go on to have, a family. This might mean that you need to look at different employment models, offering incentives such as:
- Flexible hours
- Job share
- Home working
- Comprehensive benefits packages, including health insurance, income protection and paid time off for childcare
4) Aim for a cultural shift
Subconsciously, many employers tend to see men as being better at some types of work, especially leadership and management roles.
While the number of women on boards has almost doubled in four years, only 23% of FTSE 100 board directors in the UK are female.
It’s important that managers are trained in gender equality so women have the opportunity to progress at the same rate as their male colleagues. Make them aware of both the obvious and subtle discrimination that takes place in business, such as women being judged on their appearance and being deemed too emotional if they show signs of anger. Teach them how to identify and deal with discrimination, and how to prevent it from happening again.
5) Create role models
It’s sometimes difficult for women to believe they can achieve success if they don’t have other women to look up to within an organisation.
Consider adopting a mentoring programme to give women more belief in their abilities. Measure rates of promotion among female employees, assessing why women in particular roles or departments are less likely to get ahead.
Want more information?
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has produced and employers guide to Creating an Inclusive Workplace.
Want to create an equality policy and action plan?
This article was provided by Unum
