Women in the workforce

The numbers show improvement but there’s still a long way to go

Despite the increase in the number of women on the front lines of politics and business organizations, we haven’t yet achieved what we call gender equality. We are doing something right, but are we doing enough? Clearly not.

The greatest barrier to achieving this harmonious equilibrium is the mental block in the minds of firm executives and political organizations. In spite of the numerous studies performed across the Globe proving that women compare equally with their male counterparts in terms of leadership, fairness and compassion, we still don’t see as many women as men in leadership positions. Undoubtedly, the world is losing out on productivity and innovation, irrespective of whether it’s on the business or political front.

So what is it that we are doing wrong?

If we were to conduct a poll on the streets of Canada asking people to provide their views on gender equality in the workforce, most of us would be outright supporters of equality. Then why do we have this disparity when we look at the figures?

As Reshma Saujani rightly pointed out in her TED Talk, “we need to teach girls bravery, not perfection.” And this needs to happen when you learn the things that you never forget: childhood. In schools and homes, the girls must be taught that coding or leading Fortune 500 companies is not something they can’t do. They can if they want to. Similarly, the boys need to be taught to be fair and treat their female counterparts with respect, irrespective of what field, position or stature they are in or will be in.

Needless to say there still are tons of things that need to be fixed ranging from legislation to post maternity leave policies. With the right attitude we can change them all.