March 8 is International Women’s Day, which is both a celebration and an acknowledgment that gender equality is a work in progress. It’s a chance to recognize women’s achievements, educate, raise awareness and push for change.
This year’s theme is #embraceequity, which challenges societies and individuals to create a more inclusive world. That means rejecting gender stereotypes and bias, calling out discrimination and pursuing diversity.
In this special content, we’ve asked companies that value gender equality to speak up. These are the businesses women should be looking at when they are planning their career advancement.
This observance is a good opportunity to assess where women stand. Here are some notable stats about the state of gender equality:
LEADERSHIP
• In 2022, the global share of women in senior leadership roles, both public and private, was 33 percent. The industries with the lowest
level of female leadership are transportation/ supply chain, energy, manufacturing and infrastructure. (From the Global Gender Gap Report)
• The share of women in managerial positions worldwide increased from 27.2 to 28.3 percent from 2015 to 2019 but remained unchanged from 2019 to 2020, the first year without an increase since 2013. (un.org)
EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT
• By 2021, women’s educational attainment had surpassed men’s, with 43.8 percent of women holding at least a college degree compared to 37.4 percent of men. (Economic Policy Institute)
• Though boys and girls face similar challenges in early childhood, gender disparities grow in adolescence. Worldwide, girls aged 10-14 are twice as likely to spend excessive hours (at least 21 per week) on household chores than boys of the same age. (Unicef)
• In the U.S., women now account for more than half (50.7 percent) of the college-educated labor force in the United States. (Pew Research Center analysis)
PAY
• Despite their higher level of education, women still earned 83 cents for each dollar men earn. This amounts to $407,760 over the course of a 40-year career. (American Association of University Women)
• Working mothers earn 42 percent less than working fathers. The “motherhood penalty” is 15 percent of her income per child under age 5. (www.equalpaytoday.org)