The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a global agenda aimed at solving many of the current challenges facing the world. One of the 17 goals of the Agenda, namely number 5, is to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls by promoting their access to education, health, employment and political participation.
Those who know us well know that we at Ambire Benefit Societies are professionally moved by three goals of the Agenda, specifically Goal 4, 5, and 8.
For us, decent work, accessibility to professional opportunities, and overcoming the gender gap and the gender pay gap are the levers that spur us, day after day, to give our best in terms of professional contribution.
This is why we have obtained the Gender Equality Certification: in addition to offering special counseling on the topic to help organizations achieve this goal, we firmly believe that words must be followed by equally just and transparent actions, as the goal is to contribute in building a more equitable and sustainable world.
The data speak for themselves
Gender equality is a timely and critically important issue. Although tremendous progress has been made in recent decades, women continue to face discrimination and inequality.
The International Labor Organization (ILO) confirms this discourse: considering 2020, the participation rate of women in the global labor force was 47.1 percent, compared to 74.7 percent for men. In addition, women are more prone to precarious work and lower wages, with a global wage gap of 16 percent.
Gender equality is essential for sustainable development and economic growth. Indeed, considering this issue, greater participation of women in the workforce can lead to an increase in gross domestic product, just as it can increase a nation’s innovation and competitiveness.
To achieve Goal 5 of the UN 2030 Agenda, it is necessary to promote policies for sustainable development: what is urgently needed now is the promotion of concrete policies and actions that ensure equal opportunities for women and encourage their active participation in the world of work. Only then can we build a more equitable and sustainable future for every person.
More effort needed
It is clear that there is still much to be done to achieve balance.
Reiterating the initial concept of this article, one avenue that companies can take to achieve Goal 5 is through Gender Equality Certification. This tool is increasingly being used by organizations of all sizes and industries to demonstrate commitment to gender equity and to ensure an inclusive and fair work environment for every employee.
Gender Equity Certification requires a careful assessment of business processes in terms of equity, inclusion and diversity. This can lead to further reflection on gender equality within the company and how recruitment, training and career development policies for employees can be improved. In addition, Certification can improve the company’s reputation in the eyes of the public and investors, increasing the company’s value.
We help you through the certification process
The practice of obtaining such an important qualification for an organization is not trivial. There is a need for Certified and competent organizations that can help and support all others on this path.
We at Ambire Benefit Society can do this because, in addition to holding the Certification ourselves, we are an organization that has been in the HR world for over 20 years. Our experience in the HR sector allows us to offer targeted strategic consulting for all organizations: we are able to support them in obtaining such a prestigious title that is useful not only for sustainability-related goals, but also for some financial savings: those who certify, in fact, are entitled, among other things, to a monthly contribution bonus equal to 1 percent of the total contribution due from the employer, up to a maximum limit of 50,000 euros per year per company.
