The representation of women in the corporate world is heading in the right direction, but progress remains slow. Businesses are being more proactive in addressing gender parity, although, much remains to be done. If you want to make a difference and be part of this movement, keep on reading as we talk about some of the best ways to promote women empowerment in your business.
- Hire More Women
Pursuing gender diversity is one of the first steps in empowering women in your business. Hiring more women will demonstrate your willingness to address gender parity at work. A good way to do this is to make job descriptions more inclusive by removing words that are traditionally associated with male applicants. It is also good to share the success stories of women in your business to encourage applicants.
- Provide Education Opportunities
Merely having women in the workforce is not sufficient and instead, businesses should be proactive in promoting opportunities for development. Enrolling in a Women’s leadership development programme can be a good idea as this can equip you with the essential knowledge and skills needed for overcoming gender biases in an organization. From negotiation to influence, these programmes will aid in the development of core competencies for female leaders.
- Pursue Pay Equity
One of the biggest issues hounding gender discrimination in the workplace is salary. In order to overcome this and to promote women empowerment in your business, you should highlight pay equity. This means that employees in similar roles should be compensated equally, irrespective of gender in order to eliminate gender bias in the pay equation.
- Partner with More Women
Women empowerment in your business should go beyond hiring women in the workforce. Another thing that you can do is to partner with or support female-owned businesses. For instance, if you are looking for a supplier, consider working with a female-managed enterprise or a company known for its initiatives to empower women. More so, when you are training your employees, hire female trainers, or if you are promoting your products and services, consider working with women influencers.
- Prevent Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment is one of the ever-present problems in the workplace that affect women. As a part of your female empowerment initiatives, you should do something to prevent sexual harassment. Create a more dynamic culture and foster better relationships to avoid this issue. Also, encourage victims to speak up and you should immediately act on any complaint received. The perpetrators will also need to be held accountable and dealt with accordingly to communicate that such behaviour will not be tolerated. By addressing sexual harassment, women will feel safer at work, and in turn, this will contribute to your goals of empowerment.
Make women an essential part of your business! Take note of the things mentioned above to promote women empowerment, such as providing education opportunities, pursuing pay equity, and preventing sexual harassment. Doing these things will not only empower women, but it can also improve your business image and positively impact the bottom line.
