Celebrating international women’s day

International Women’s Day is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. This year marks the 20^th anniversary of the UN Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security. The resolution aimed to increase the participation of women and incorporate gender perspectives in all UN efforts.

The day is also a call to action for working toward gender parity. Beyond the celebrations of women, IWD also serves as a reminder of the existing gap in gender equality and calls on businesses and organizations to be part of the solution. And this year’s theme aptly captures that spirit: An equal world is an enabled world.

Studies have shown companies with greater gender diversity tend to outperform those without. The same studies show a penalty for the lack of gender and ethnic diversity. Having more women in the workforce is simply better for business.

There is progress. A 2019 study showed women make up 25% of C-level executives at the top 1,000 U.S. companies by revenue. And 40% of businesses in the U.S. are owned by women. It is estimated that if women participated equally in the global economy, they would generate $28 trillion by 2025.

Women continue to make up the majority of the marketing workforce, with continued expansion into leadership. More than half (26) of Forbes’ 50 Most Influential CMOs are women and the number of female CMOs at the top 1,000 revenue-generating U.S. companies has risen to 36%.

At Capgemini, women comprise the majority of our marketing team. We strive to ensure the team has opportunities to expand their skills and take on new challenges, so they can move their marketing careers forward. It is part of Capgemini’s overall belief in encouraging gender diversity, and our goal is to increase the overall percentage of women in our workforce and in leadership roles.

Our diversity program leverages a global work environment in which various profiles and inclusive practices are instrumental to our collective performance. Our recruitment and retention strategies are designed to increase our diversity and attract the best talent from the wide range of profiles needed to respond to the technology and business shifts confronting our clients.

Gender equality is essential for both economies and communities. International Women’s Day celebrates the achievement of women around the world, but it is also meant to raise awareness against bias and remind us we all need to take action for equality. And that we need to do that every day of the year.

I’ve made a personal pledge to dedicate more focus towards encouraging and mentoring the rising stars on our team to ensure they are empowered to share their thoughts in our meetings. I also maintain a schedule of smaller, interpersonal meetings where team members feel more comfortable expressing their ideas. These choices and investment of my time are designed to empower the team, and the end result is more active engagement from a wider variety of team members, which supports diversity in thought and problem-solving.