*note this is not a trans issue - 'Gender' in the title of this article used here to talk about equality between women and men.
www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/ten-things-to-know-about-gender-equality
This is a lengthy article I tripped on - but very good I think, with lots of rather depressing facts. I hope you find it interesting and useful. For me, it helps me focus my attention. First, seeing the personal things I do - like refusing to do all the housework - as a contribution to changing cultures. Second, in knowing the best places to target any campaigning etc...
Curious to know which one of these resonates with you most, or you think we can best have power over?
For those of you short of time, the ten headlines are:
- Tackling the gender gap will boost global GDP by 12 Trillion so it's not just an ethical imperative, but an economic one.
- Progress in gender equality has been marginal since 2015, with a few relatively bright spots (reduced maternal mortality, political representation), lots of stasis, and some regression (financial inclusion and child marriage)
- Over the past two decades, while women in advanced economies have made large gains as workers, consumers, and savers, they have faced rising costs and insecurity
- Women continue to work a double shift at home (eg: in India, women do x10 unpaid work; in the USA x2; in China, the work a full extra day per week, in)
- Women face disproportionate challenges from automation, with 40-160 Million women needing to transition across occupation and skill sets to stay employed by 2030
- The challenge for women is now even greater as they experience economic fallout from COVID-19, with women disproportionately represented in industries affected by COVID
- We can grow our way out of some gender equality issues but not others. Eg: material mortality should improve in Africa, at least in part, simply with growth; but more cultural issues like trends of violence against women and women's unfair load of unpaid work will not change without targeted effort.
- More gender-diverse companies do better (of 1000 companies in 15 different countries, those in top quartile for gender equity are 25% more profitable; those in bottom quartile for gender equity are 27% more underperforming)
- The corporate career pipeline for women is leaky - especially early on. There is a 'missing rung' in the step up to early management where women, and especially black women are badly under-represented. This makes it very hard to catch up.
10. All stakeholders need to work together to accelerate progress. All initiative - particular in COVID recovery - should be shaped to contribute to this agenda.