Today is International Women’s Rights Day
Today somebody asked me: “Why do you celebrate International Women’s Rights Day?... “It is International Women’s Rights Day every day, no?”. Yes but… no.
We all know that the first principle of all learning is repetition, and today we would like to repeat and shout out : “Happy International Women’s Day to all the women we know” :-) ! We can all declare that raising awareness about gender equality, especially today, is more than welcome.
Why are women so important? (yes sometimes we have the right to say that)
Did you know…
Who was the director of the Software of the MIT that led to the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon? A women called Margaret Hamilton.
That in 1967 women were not allowed to participate in marathons like men were? Kathrine Switzer was the first to run the Boston Marathon, despite the marathon organizer's attempts to prevent her from doing so.
That 76% of the 49 million care workers in the EU, who have been most exposed to the virus (Covid-19), are women?
What about women during the Covid-19 crisis?
Unfortunately, inequalities in employment and working conditions are widening with the health crisis although women are at the forefront of the fight against Covid-19, as frontline workers and healthcare professionals, as scientists, doctors and caregivers.
According to a study published by McKinsey, women are more likely than men to lose their jobs and, given the current succession of bankruptcies and layoffs, the consequences are severe.
As remote work has become an almost global obligation, inequalities are also emerging. Women are 1.3 times less likely to have an isolated workspace and 1.5 times more likely to be frequently interrupted in their work when working from home.
Women at work : key figures
With OKUN, we focus on improving well-being at work, so today we want to focus on women in the workplace.
We are still impressed by the difference between men and women: according to statbel, the employment rate of women at the end of 2020 was 66.3% and 74.8% for men. The occupational status of the main job also varies greatly by gender. While women represent 57% of public sector workers, only one in three self-employed is a woman.
In addition, 53% of working women have a higher education qualification compared to 41% of male workers.
However, a woman earns on average 6.0% less per hour worked than a man even if Belgium performs better than most other European countries in terms of equal pay between women and men.
All these examples are not just examples, they exist and we have selected them in order to show that, yes, there is still a difference between men and women in 2021 (even if, fortunately, today we are allowed to vote and participate in marathons).
Why is it important to focus on gender equality at work?
Focusing on gender equality in your company has many benefits such as the well-being and stability of employees.
Gender equality also creates a more productive and cohesive workforce. Indeed, gender equality workforces have a real diversity of opinions leading to better decision making.
Furthermore, companies that improve their gender equality policy are more likely to be innovative and therefore grow faster.
We therefore wisely recommend to take advantage of the various genders in our society.
Yes, women can be as focused, unifying, productive, inspiring and leading as men (if not more) !
Inspiring Women at work
Because we speak about leadership, we have decided to share with you three businesswomen revolutionising the business world :
Arianna Huffington
Arianna Stassinopoulos Huffington is a Greek-American author and businesswoman. She is a co-founder of The Huffington Post, the founder and CEO of Thrive Global, and the author of fifteen books.
Arianna Huffington, about Thrive Global : "After my collapse from sleep deprivation and exhaustion in 2007 I became more and more passionate about the connection between well-being and performance. And as I went around the world speaking about my experience, I saw two things: First, that we're facing a stress and burnout epidemic. And second, that people deeply want to change the way they work and live…
That's why I launched Thrive Global – to go beyond raising awareness and create something real and tangible that would help individuals, companies and communities improve their well-being and performance and unlock their greatest potential. At Thrive Global, helping you achieve these goals is our mission and our passion."
Catherine Testa
Catherine Testa is a French entrepreneur, author and change-maker who has worked for about ten years in the fields of sustainable development and digital technology.
Today she belongs to the generation of committed entrepreneurs. Very quickly the business world called on her to tackle the delicate subject of well-being in companies.
She founded L'Optimisme.pro, a media and network of companies committed to employees but also to fundamental social issues. Today, more than 250 companies have placed their trust in her.
Catherine Testa is also an author. The books "Dare Optimism! "and "Oser être soi... même au travail" are both best-sellers published by Editions Michel Lafon. From Paris to New York where she lived, she travels the world today to speak at conferences and webinars about the notion of optimism in companies and in society.
Brené Brown
Casandra Brené Brown is an American professor, lecturer, author, and podcast host. Brené Brown holds the Huffington Foundation's Brené Brown Endowed Chair at the University of Houston's Graduate College of Social Work and is a professor in management at McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas, Austin.
She has written “Dare to lead”, a book about “the willingness to step up, put yourself out there, and lean into courage. The world is desperate for braver leaders. It's time for all of us to step up”. She shares here 10 ways to explore “Dare to Lead” : https://daretolead.brenebrown.com/
Another great work to share with you about Brené Brown is “The Call To Courage”, a 2019 documentary film that depicts her as she explains what it takes to choose courage over comfort in today's culture. If you don’t know what to look at Netflix tonight, here it is : https://www.netflix.com/be-fr/title/81010166
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And you, what do you think about International Women’s Rights Day
Speak soon,
The OKUN Team
Sources :
https://www.ipnoze.com/femmes-redoutables-change-histoire/