Gender equality is a term that is often thrown around, but not many people know what it truly means.
Geelong Women’s Business Club (GWBC) as the one of the top advocators of women empowerment, dive deep to the definition and essence of gender equality and what are the ways to promote it.
GENDER EQUALITY: WHAT IS IT?
Gender equality is a term that is used to describe the equal treatment of all genders. It means that people, regardless of their gender, are free to make their career, lifestyle choices and decisions without being discriminated against. They both have equal access to education, healthcare services and other opportunities for their personal and professional growth. Gender equality does not imply that everyone is treated the same though. It gives emphasis on valuing the individual’s different needs and wants.
CHALLENGES IN GENDER EQUALITY
Gender equality is a challenge in society. It is a problem that needs to be solved.
Here are 3 challenges in Gender Equality:
1. The Gender Pay Gap
The gender pay gap has been decreasing over the years, but it’s still not close to being solved. Women are still being paid less than men for doing the same job and this needs to change. In order for us to solve this problem, we need to work together as a society and fight for what's right.
2. The Lack of Women in Leadership Positions
According to statistics, women in leadership positions are increasing, but not quickly enough. This is true across all industries. It seems like a success, thanks to the non-profit organizations who continuously advocate for women empowerment and gender equality.
One of the major challenges for women who want to advance into leadership positions is the lack of mentorships. Because men dominate the C-Suite and leadership positions, some argue that they have more opportunities to advance through the mentorship of a male senior mentor, whereas women do not always have the same opportunities.
To address this issue, it is really important that women come together, network, collaborate and support one another.
3. Lack of Representation in STEM and other career fields
The lack of women representation in certain career fields is suggested to be attributed to lack of Mentorship and role models. These two are vital for someone gaining skills, getting a career and seeking a degree. You often hear from successful people that they admire someone that actually pushes them to pursue a career because of that inspiration.
We often lean toward role models that appear to be similar to us; it appears that if they can achieve their goals, so can we. Because there are few female role models in certain career fields, girls have fewer individuals to look up to and, as a result, are less likely to pursue this area.
At GWBC, we aim to address this matter by inspiring women to pursue their dreams. At the events, we have influential people and industry experts talk about different issues such as career and personal development, pursuing entrepreneurial endeavors, and growing a business.
WHY GENDER EQUALITY IS SO IMPORTANT
1. It leads to improved legal protection for women - Domestic violence is prevalent across the globe. With the fight against abuse, gender equality only intensifies protection of women's legal rights in order to keep them safe and enable them to live productive and happy lives.
2. It’s great for the economy - Women’s participation in the workforce is great to the economy. They contribute valuable skills in the organizations and serve as an inspiration to young women to pursue a career.
3. It leads to poverty reduction - The gender difference in poverty widens as men and women grow older. This is largely due to the fact that girls do not have the same access to education and career opportunities as men, and when they marry, they frequently do not work. That wouldn’t be the case if women have access to better education, healthcare, and career opportunities.
Investing in gender equality is a long-term, high-impact method to poverty reduction.
4. It promotes equality in the workplace - If an organization promotes gender equality, gender gap pay, lack of women in leadership positions, and sexual harrassment will be never be an issue.
5. It fosters peace - When a country resolves important issues of gender inequality like education, employment and access to services and opportunities, it fosters peace.
WAYS TO PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY
The main challenge of gender equality is the social norms and stereotypes that are deeply ingrained in society. These norms and stereotypes lead to discrimination, unequal pay, lack of access to opportunities and services and in some cases violence against women.
There are many ways to promote gender equality, but the most important thing is to raise awareness about it. People should be educated on how they can help promote gender equality.
Awareness of gender equality can be raised by not making assumptions about people's gender, being open to learning about other cultures, and accepting different ways of living.
These are the ways to promote gender equality:
- Fight gender stereotypes
- Equal responsibility within the household
- Equal pay for equal work
- Equal opportunities for education and employment
- Equal access to resources and services
- Zero tolerance on sexual harassment and racism
- Embracing diversity
THE UPCOMING GWBC EVENT THAT COULD CHANGE YOUR LIFE
The world has made great strides in recent decades in terms of gender equality, but there is still work to be done. GWBC believes in equality and will continue to push the promotion of gender equality and women empowerment.
Come and join GWBC, a platform that can guide and empower women in Career, Business and Life. This is your chance to explore and grow your leadership skills, network with like-minded individuals, share personal challenges, and create long-lasting friendships. This is a group where work-life balance is encouraged, giving back to the community is supported, equality is valued and diversity is celebrated.
We will be having an amazing event on March 19th, where we have industry experts share their insights and advice in career, business, and personal life. This is a life-changing event that you don’t want to miss. The event details are as follows:
⭐EVENT DETAILS ⭐
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🗓SATURDAY 19th MARCH 2022
⏰5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
(Enjoy the night & stick around after the event and have the opportunity for you to mingle and network with your new connections.)
📍Geelong Events Centre - Rydges Geelong
Get your tickets here - https://www.geelongwomensbusinessclub.com/events
We are so excited to see you on 19th of March!
If you have any inquiries about the event, please let us know and send us a message.
You can also check our website at https://www.geelongwomensbusinessclub.com/
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