Planet 50-50 by 2030

International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8 each year. An important occasion to bring gender inequality into the spotlight to accelerate gender parity, it also offers a time to reflect on the progress made by women across the globe.

This year, the theme for International Women’s Day is “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality”. The aim is to build momentum for the effective implementation of the new Sustainable Development Goals, with particular focus on goal number 5:

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

“More women than men are enrolled in universities in nearly 100 countries but women hold the majority of senior roles in only a handful of countries,” said Saadia Zahidi, Head of the Global Challenge on Gender Parity at the World Economic Forum.

“Companies and governments need to implement new policies to prevent this continued loss of talent and instead leverage it for boosting growth and competitiveness.”

Last year saw Australia ranked 24th out of 145 countries on the Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI), down nine places since 2006. The GGGI is measured on four primary categories:

1. economic participation and opportunity
2. educational attainment
3. political empowerment
4. health and survival.

The Index also shows a strong correlation between a country’s gender gap and its national competitiveness, income and development.

In 2013, the Australian government put in place the Workplace Gender Equality Procurement Principles, a set of principles which describe the Australian Government procurement policy associated with the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012. This act replaced the Equal Opportunity for Women Act 1999 with its main goal to promote and improve gender equality in employment and the workplace.

The Act promotes gender equality and requires companies with more than 100 employees to report annually on their company’s gender balance targets in order to be eligible for government contracts.

More than 1147 business leaders around the world have taken the steps to empower women in the workplace to try and improve gender equality by signing up to the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs): a set of 7 principles to help empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community. The principles assist businesses to implement enterprise development as well as supply chain and marketing practices that empower women to help work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

It will require the actions of both men and women to achieve gender equality. Encouragement needs to start at schools and universities, and action is needed in the workplace and in the community.

CourtHeath’s Eleanor Doig recorded the video at the United Nations in Geneva for International Women’s Day 2016.

Blog image:
International Women’s Day

Video:
Featuring: Eleanor Doig
Production: Maxim Goupil
Music: Love Wins by Lee Rosevere