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SubscribeLearn how Target Gender Equality is accelerating corporate action on Global Goal 5
Business leaders across the globe agree that gender equality is a business priority. The business case to adopt a holistic approach to gender equality is clear — not only is advancing gender equality the right thing to do, but it is also good for business and a key component in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Research shows that companies with high female representation have annual returns 3 percentage points higher (Morgan Stanley, 2019) and women’s business leadership is linked to better ESG performance, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions, stronger worker relations and reduced incidence of fraud, insider trading, and other unethical practices (IFC, 2019).
Target Gender Equality, an accelerator programme of the UN Global Compact, is designed to enable companies to set and reach ambitious corporate targets for women’s representation and leadership.
Target Gender Equality is mobilizing and supporting companies to set ambitious targets and take bold action to advance gender equality across all regions of the globe. The accelerator programme is run in collaboration with Global Compact Local Networks.
Explore the local impact of Target Gender Equality. For more stories of local impact, check out our past newsletters.
Brazil
In Global Compact Network Brazil, 15 companies set public targets for women's representation and leadership at the outset of the programme, aiming for either 30% of women in senior positions by 2025 or 50% by 2030. Companies then identified gaps and opportunities based on their starting points using the WEPs Gender Gap Analysis Tool and developed tailored action plans to meet targets set.
Croatia
Global Compact Network Croatia ran an all-female Target Gender Equality programme and focused on tackling obstacles in women's career advancement. By addressing challenges such as inferior mindset, imposter syndrome, unrealized potential, lack of self-advocacy and lack of confidence to apply for higher positions, the programme tackled goal-setting with their participants to elevate career development opportunities. By connecting both their personal and professional goals, Target Gender Equality equipped women with new tools that were well received by participating companies.
Japan
Global Compact Network Japan collected over 20 case studies building on interiews with corporate gender equality representatives from a variety of industries. These sumarize the different actions and measures taken to advance diversity and inclusion throughout the organizations.
Kenya
Global Compact Network Kenya put together a video series sharing case studies of seven Kenyan companies that advance gender equality: companies share their learnings tackling issues from sexual harassment and parental leave to gender parity on board and workplace wellness.
Lebanon
Overall, Lebanon suffers from extreme structural gender inequalities, ranking 145 out of 153 countries in the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report, due to low rates of women’s economic and political participation and patriarchal socio-cultural norms. Despite the compounded crisis hitting Lebanon, the private sector continues to demonstrate their WEPS commitment as they address increasing gender inequalities by ensuring provision of women-friendly personal protective equipment for staff, promoting measures to address the care burden of women workers, or providing donations to support women-owned businesses impacted by the Beirut blast.
Portugal
Global Compact Network Portugal launched a National Target on Gender Equality, challenging Portuguese companies to achieve 40% of women in decision-making positions by 2030. Signing on as flagship companies to the initiative are Accenture Portugal, Altice Portugal, Aguas de Portugal, Energias de Portugal, Grupo Bel and Lidl Portugal. The National Target was launched with the support of the Portuguese government.
Spain
In Global Compact Network Spain, over 70 companies have been participating in Target Gender Equality. Participants have identified concrete actions to achieve results, ranging from setting targets to reduce the gender pay gap and ensure regular audits, to developing manuals for inclusive language that tackles stereotypes, to widening the female applicant pool by working with STEM focused Universities. All of the companies in Spain have identified that they are working on their targets, while around one third are aiming for gender balance by 2025 or earlier.
Target Gender Equality aims to scale up stories of action and impact across the globe, amplifying the voices of UN Global Compact participating companies and the individuals that are driving change within their organizations and beyond.
Learn more about women who are driving change on gender equality within their organizations and beyond.
Eva Muñoz strategically implements small changes to create a trickle-down effect towards normalizing the broader SDGs in the work culture at Solunion Seguros
At the SuperHuman Race, Gapandeep Bhullar is continue to build capacity across the company's ecosystem of partners to enable them to measure their progress against the 17 SDGs using data and technology.
Running a leading construction company in Kenya, Sharon Thuku knows firsthand the bias that women in male dominated industries face. Now she's focused on equipping young women with the skills needed to compete.
At Hrvatski Telekom, women hold about 40% of the managerial positions. Learn how Marijana Bacic is dedicated to pushing the gender equality agenda in her role and company.
At ReNew Power, Vaishali Nigam Sinha implements impact-oriented sustainability and gender parity across all levels of her organization
At the Central Bank of Egypt, May Abulnaga helps save women by increasing their access to financial inclusion and fighting the uphill battle against typical Egyptian gender norms
Explore the stories of male allies leveraging their roles as business executives to be advocates for gender equality.
We, men, sometimes don't understand something because we don't live it. We don’t suffer that discrimination and sexist jokes. How men and women interact is different now than three years ago when we started our efforts. It’s more like a partnership.
When you start to pay attention, you really see inequality, but more importantly, you see how men could play an important role.
If you want to correct these inequities from the past, you’ve got to drive what you want to achieve deliberately.
Diversity is one of the best tools that we have to achieve our goals as an organization.
How can you have a group of men, a boardroom or executive committee of men, debating the decisions that affect the consumers who are women?
It’s about human capital as much as it is around natural capital. As a business, it's going to help us be more successful, and ultimately it’s going to help our clients be more successful.
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