The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is #BalanceforBetter, because parity benefits us all. Here are some countries who are bettering the balance across sectors—from government to boardrooms to film—and some solutions for change.
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When you add more women to any equation, there is a return on equality. The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is #BalanceforBetter, because parity benefits us all. Equality is not a female issue; it’s a social and economic imperative. In fact we could add as much as $28 trillion to the global GDP if we reached full gender equality by 2025, according to McKinsey and Company.
It’s not just about diversity as a strategy or having an environment of inclusion, it’s about creating a culture of belonging, where anyone can walk into the workplace and feel comfortable. That means having more of everything surrounding you. I believe that the flipping point for belonging is a minimum 30% female representation at every level. Here are some countries who are bettering the balance across sectors—from government to boardrooms to film—and some solutions for change.
In the boardroom: France
France has used quotas to help better the balance in the boardroom, with more than 44% women on company boards. As an aside, another country to watch is Australia, which may be the first country in the world to achieve nearly 30% gender diversity in the top 100 boardrooms without using quotas or regulations, according to the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Solution for change: In countries that have an average of three women on large company boards (a flipping point number in which you start to see a return on diversity), all but one also have mandated quotas, according to Bloomberg. In the US, California was the first state to require at least one women on corporate boards, and it may help pave the way for other states to follow suit in 2019.
It is clear that quotas are working to force the flip, and the next step is to make sure that we’re hiring the top talent.
