How to Promote Gender Equality in a Corporate Office

It’s a matter of great concern that gender inequality is still a pressing issue for most business organisations in 2022. Although there have been some improvements, there’s still a glaring gap between the way the corporate world treats employees based on gender.

Women still earn considerably less than men and get fewer opportunities to advance their careers. According to a World Economic Forum report, the global pay gap between men and women stood at an enormous 50% in 2021. Today, women remain under-represented at senior management or CXO levels.

Business leaders and human resource management teams should ensure gender equality in their companies. As well as being the right thing to do, gender equality in Ireland can have considerable benefits for company management.

According to a recent study, even a 1% gender bias in a major organisation can cause a productivity loss of $2.8 million per year.

Removing gender biases and bringing in gender equality can be a great way to ensure employees stay motivated and less likely to leave.

What can you define as gender equality in the workplace in 2022?

The definition of gender equality in the workplace has evolved over the years. Contrary to popular belief, gender equality does not mean favouring all women or throwing a few perks their way.

Today, gender inequality is about ensuring that employees get equal career progression opportunities and working rights irrespective of their gender. It also ensures that employees are paid on the basis of the work they have done and their experience instead of their gender.

Why do we need a greater focus on gender equality in the corporate sector?

Addressing gender inequality in the workplace should be about addressing inequality, oppression and structural violence on a wider scale. On top of this, there are many benefits that impact a business organisation more directly:

1. More women in leadership positions can improve company performance
2. It can create a safe and positive environment for all employees
3. It would enhance the company and work culture
4. You can ensure talent retention and greater diversity in the workplace
5. The organisation’s brand image and reputation as a fair employer will rise

How can you ensure gender equality in the workplace?

Despite significant progress, gender inequalities remain common in the corporate world, especially in male-dominated industries. Addressing the problem would require business leaders to start making changes in company policies regarding recruitment and operations.

Here are some effective business policies that can promote gender equality in any organisation.

1. Have a close look at your vacancy descriptions to ensure that they are free of gender bias.
2. Base your workplace incentives and performance bonuses on skill-based assessments.
3. Actively try to narrow down or eliminate gender-based pay gaps.
4. Analyse the ratio of male to female employees and revamp your hiring trends.
5. Crosscheck your interview questions to assess if they are offensive to any specific gender.
6. Create a company culture that’s discrimination-free.
7. Improve the work-life balance for all employees.
8. Take instantaneous and strict action against gender-based harassment.
9. Ensure that the company provides equal learning and development opportunities for both men and women.
10. Penalise actions of gender-based harassment harshly and ensure they are not repeated.
11. Ensure that gender-based stereotypes aren’t spread amongst employees.

How can you do your bit for gender equality in the corporate world?

In most cases, ensuring a gender discrimination-free work environment is the responsability of human resource management teams. Therefore, you should consider a career in this field if you want to create a significant impact on gender equality.

The easiest way to get started would be to look for appropriate HR courses in Dublin. You would be able to hone your people management skills and influence employees to rethink and abandon their gender biases.

The IBAT College Dublin offers a great Diploma in Human Resource Management programme, which can be relevant here. The human resource course can train you in different aspects of human resource management, such as staff recruitment, training, and management.

You will also learn about the importance of different human resource management functions and how to create policies to promote better company culture. IBAT College itself is proud to be committed to gender equality and creates a welcoming environment that attracts students from all over the world.

Click here to enrol in the human resource management programme at IBAT College Dublin today!

This article was written by Sweha Hazari.