By Sanjay Tugnait | March 2022
“Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development, and building good governance”
– Kofi Annan, Nobel Peace Prize Winner.
Even though Gender equality is a human right, there is a huge delta to cover in order to give equal access to opportunities and decision-making power to women and men. All over the world, women face inequality with fewer opportunities for economic involvement than men, less access to basic and higher education, higher health and safety risks, and less political representation.
According to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations, these are some of the solutions to create gender equality:
• Assure sufficient participation of women – 30% or greater
• Pay equal remuneration and benefits
• Support access to child and dependent care
• Taming corporate power: ensure business accountability, transparency and due diligence in global supply chains
• Establish a zero-tolerance policy towards verbal or physical abuse.
• Expand business relationships with women-owned enterprises
• Support your strategy for achieving gender parity at the highest levels of
Management, including the Board of Directors.
What are the benefits of gender equality in the workplace?
Research shows that gender equality has a positive impact on companies and workplaces, including:
• Improved national productivity and economic growth
• Increased organizational performance
• Enhanced ability of companies to attract talent and retain employees
• Enhanced organizational reputation
At FCCCO, we are leading by example:
1. Hybrid Work Culture
FCCCO is launching a platform for Influential Women Leaders across industries to share best practices, call for action for change and applaud acts of courage and determination by women, who have played an extraordinary role in the growth of their companies and communities.
2. Supporting & Enabling Women-led Businesses
The chamber supports women-led businesses (including start-ups) and gives them the platform to come forth and speak about their journeys and achievements, helping them network with potential collaborations and grow within the French and Canadian business ecosystem.
3. Achieving Gender Parity at Conclaves, Roundtables and our Board
Among other initiatives, FCCCO has been committed to having gender-balanced panels and roundtables for all our events. We aim at engaging with the C-suite leadership and promise equal representation to women in the business ecosystem. To that effect, we also have a proportion of 50% women on the FCCCO Board.
4. All Women Team at FCCCO (ON)!
The chamber today has an all-women team working toward building the future of the Non-Profit organization and driving the growth of bilateral trade and commerce between France and Canada.
Reach out to us at contact@fccco.org to know how FCCCO can help achieve Gender Parity and foster a diverse, inclusive workplace to help sustainability take roots at the core of your operations.