Finding creative ways to promote gender equality is central to how we do business at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. As president, I spend a sizeable amount of my time stressing its importance for the workplace to our partners and clients.
Happily, the principle that women should be empowered at work enjoys near universal support. Promoting gender is not only about promoting women per se but is also about closing inequalities, reducing gaps, and redistributing roles in general. So men and changing their roles and expectations both at home and in the work place are key to achieving equality.
Rehearsing the general arguments for empowerment might seem unnecessary but, to my mind, it is worthwhile recalling what is at stake here.
We seek equal opportunities for both women and men and we make them part of the conditions on which we offer financing. We do so because we believe in realizing the potential of everyone in our countries of operation to make use of the best available talent and contribute to both society and the economy. More specifically, we want women’s and men’s merits and skills to be used to the full.
We also believe that gender equality is good for economies and vital for the companies within them. Only when gender equality is assured can economies make use of all of society’s potential talent as well as encourage the innovations that create wealth.
Read the full article on Devex.