Of course, gender equality in the workplace is important morally. But did you know that it's also key to creating a sustainable economy?
In the lead up to International Women’s Day, a new report has been released by WomenRising2030 (an initiative pioneered by the Business and Sustainable Development Commission) which demonstrates just how important sustainability and gender equality are in business – and that they go hand in hand!
Better Leadership, Better World: Women Leading for the Global shows that sustainable business strategies could generate more than US$12 trillion per year and up to 380 million jobs by 2030. But it also shows that women are instrumental in driving that change – leadership teams with more women display more of the competencies needed to pursue these sustainable business strategies.
What’s more, women’s equality in the workplace could add as much as US$28 trillion to global annual gross domestic product by 2025, according to the McKinsey Global Institute.
So, what does this mean for the events industry?
The events industry
Although the events industry is largely female-dominated, there's still a long way to go when it comes to gender equality:
-
Nearly 70% of all event speakers are male, according to Bizzabo
-
As of 2017, only 27% of CEOs and MDs were women, according to Leeds Beckett University
-
61% of female event professionals in the UK have encountered inappropriate behaviour since working in the events industry, according to Conference News
Speaking of business generally, Paul Polman (CEO of Unilever and member of the Business Commission) has said: “At the current pace, it will take 217 years to achieve gender equality – and that’s bad news for economy and society”.
Yet Better World: Women Leading for the Global may signal better days for both business and the events industry. It gives a compelling case for gender-balanced leadership because it demonstrates that gender equality doesn’t just make good moral sense – it makes good financial sense too.
With International Women’s Day fast approaching, we want to take this chance to celebrate the women who embody the change we want to see.
So, each day this week, we’ll release a piece celebrating a woman who is leading the way with sustainability in the events industry - from sustainable catering to creative ways of improving sustainability at events. Enjoy!
Author
Imogen Beech
With a love of interior design, Imogen’s writing experience has taken her from the mansions of the rich and famous to the capital’s most unique events spaces on Hire Space.
