Report

Commitment to gender equality companies operating internationally

On 31 October 2018, Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, requested the CSR Platform to make a diagnosis, identifying in particular good practices, and propose recommendations to mobilise French companies operating internationally in favour of equality between women and men, as part of their social responsibility initiatives.

Published on : 17/09/2019

Temps de lecture

3 minutes

To develop its recommendations, it set up a working group, drew up an inventory, met with some 30 stakeholders and organised 19 hearings.

While the statistics show a slow but definite increase in women's rights and gender equality since the middle of the 20th century, inequalities still exist. Inequalities are particularly significant in the professional context but vary according to the country and the sector of activity. Worldwide, women earn, on average, 20% less than men.

Many legislative, social, cultural, economic and legislative obstacles to gender equality persist in the world. The existence of restrictive legislation, the inequitable distribution of unpaid activities, insufficient support for parenting, difficulties of access to education, energy, sexual and reproductive health are all obstacles to gender equality and women's empowerment.

Mobilization is all the more important as gender equality and women's empowerment are one of the fundamental pillars of sustainable development.

The rights of women and girls are one of the key themes of the United Nations Programme for Sustainable Development, both as an autonomous objective and as a transverse issue

Sources : BIT (2017, 2019), Banque mondiale (2018), UNESCO (2017), Conseil consultatif du G7 (2018), Deloitte (2017).

Despite the progress made since the middle of the 20th century, women continue to suffer from gender discrimination in every region of the world. Inequalities are particularly acute in the workplace.

The facts

Wage gap

Women earn on average 20% less than men.

Harassment

Between 30% and 50% of women are victims of sexual harassment at work.

Women executives

Only 4% of CEOs and board chairmen are women.

Barriers to equality

Restrictive legislation

In 2018, 2.7 billion women worldwide do not have the same employment choices as men.

Difficulties of access to autonomy

2/3 of the world's illiterates are women.

Stereotypes

Women spend 4 hours and 25 minutes on unpaid work.
At the current rate, it will take 209 years to close the gap with men.
Only 35% of girls worldwide study science.

And yet

For the United Nations, gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but also one of the cornerstones of sustainable development.

Women represent half of humanity.

Numerous studies show that greater equality reduces poverty, promotes economic development and is a performance factor for companies.

Levers for action

French companies employ 5.5 million people abroad in over 190 countries. They can take action to spread responsible practices and a culture of gender equality, by promoting equal pay, hierarchical advancement for women and the reporting of gender-based violence.

Corporate governance

Involve company senior management and their local correspondents in the gender equality strategy, and allocate the necessary resources.

Social dialogue

Promote the negotiation and monitoring of international framework agreements, with the support of social partners.

Co-construction
Establish partnerships and involve all the company's stakeholders (NGOs, local women's associations, etc.) to co-construct the equality strategy.
The supply chain
Deploy equality actions with subsidiaries, suppliers, subcontractors and the company's entire sphere of influence.
Labeling and certification

Engage in voluntary initiatives (labels, certifications, etc.) to mobilize employees internally and communicate externally.
An environment conducive to employment
Facilitate women's access to employment through health, safety and childcare initiatives.
Combating stereotypes
The media and advertising, political discourse, education... and men have a role to play in the representation and visibility of women in the workplace.