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lthough the term Glass Ceiling first appeared in a Wall Street Journal article in 1968, it has become increasingly known and used by society as a whole. After more than fifty years (half a century!), the term has not yet disappeared from our everyday vocabulary, but has, in a way, intensified. This is corroborated by studies such as the ESADE Gender Monitor, a report on gender balance in business that includes a sample of more than 500 female executives and where they are asked about the equality policies of the companies where they work. The latest edition of the report, presented last January, highlighted the increase in the number of female executives who perceived barriers in their company (especially in issues such as work-life balance and wage inequality) and suggested that there is still a long way to go in this regard.
Different international organizations have launched several initiatives to promote equality, such as the HeForShe campaign, a United Nations program created in 2014 to promote female empowerment and gender equality in governmental, private or academic sectors; the Women's Empowerment Principles, also from the United Nations, which serves as a global platform to exchange opinions and create community, or Time's Up, an organization that insists on promoting safe, fair and dignified work for all types of women.
These are just a few examples of many other initiatives that have been gaining strength internationally. In addition, each country and region has its own campaigns to promote equality, and at a more micro level, companies can adhere to international initiatives or other more state-level ones such as the EFR Certification (Family Responsible Company) granted by the Másfamilia Foundation and which recognizes good practices in organizations. Organizations here such as CaixaBank or ESADE, among others, have adhered to some of them.
STAGNATION AND LEADERSHIP
The report by the consulting firm Grant Thornton on the matter, Women in Business: Comply or Lead?, also made it clear, at the end of 2018, that the female presence in management positions has stagnated, and has barely increased by 5% since 2011. These and other data highlight that companies, especially large companies, are not leading as they should and it is essential that they do so as soon as possible.
Some of the big companies here are getting serious about the issue, like CaixaBank, which in the last year has launched the Wengage program, which aims to strengthen its commitment to gender diversity and equality, and which includes internal actions aimed at increasing the visibility and proportion of women in management positions, which currently exceeds 39% - one of the highest figures in the sector, considering that banking and finance have traditionally been sectors dominated by the male gender -.
The CEO of this banking entity, Gonzalo Gortázar, pointed out that "diversity is key to attracting and developing all the talent in an organization", and added a milestone: "In this sense, CaixaBank has achieved its objectives of increasing women in management positions set by the company's 2015-2018 Strategic Plan."
LANGUAGE AND AWARENESS
Promoting equality in the business world means including everyone, regardless of gender and professional categories. And language plays a very important role, as has become evident in recent political campaigns and in the new actors - political parties - that have appeared in this field. The Women's Institute, an autonomous body attached to the Ministry of Health, has as its function the promotion and fostering of conditions that enable social equality for both sexes and the participation of women in political, cultural, economic and social life, and for this reason it has placed special emphasis on this aspect of language and has prepared some practical guides on communication for companies that are available to anyone with a simple click.
In this regard, CaixaBank has also prepared a guide, titled Equal Communication: the challenge of interpersonal relationships, a book written by Dr. and Professor at the University of Barcelona, Estrella Montolío, and which, among other aspects, includes practical recommendations to prevent stereotypes from conditioning decisions and to promote equality.
WORK-LIFE BALANCE AND CO-RESPONSIBILITY
The reconciliation between personal and professional life -one of the metrics that according to many studies remains unresolved despite being one of the great demands- plays a very important role when it comes to professional positioning. This already involves all levels and for this reason, as some sources point out, "reconciliation has been shifting towards what is called co-responsibility" and they add: "the reconciliation measures offered by companies must be offered to anyone working in the company, regardless of their personal situation."
Companies are becoming aware and creating equality and reconciliation protocols -CaixaBank, for example, has had one since 2007- and specific plans that include measures for reconciliation. In the case of the banking entity, the plan they have had since 2011 includes extensions of permits, reductions in working hours and leaves of absence for maternity and paternity, as well as for the care of dependent persons or leaves of absence for studies or volunteering, among others.
STEM CAREERS: A BATTLE HORSE
Professional careers related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in English, hence STEM) will constitute the bulk of remunerated activities, as several studies also point out. The need for professionals with this profile will increase in Europe by 14% until 2020, according to data from the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training. But these careers have not yet fully overcome gender barriers, partly due to social stigma.
To reverse this situation, it is more necessary than ever to create initiatives that promote female participation in STEM careers, a concern even more deeply rooted internationally. Campaigns such as For Women in Science or the Hypatia project, financed by the European Commission with 19 partners from 15 different European countries -among these partners is Obra Social "La Caixa"- aim to create the optimal conditions for girls to become interested in this type of career.
Awards such as the Wonnow STEM, promoted by Microsoft and CaixaBank, and other types of actions for the recognition of female talent, contribute their grain of sand so that soon -as soon as possible- this type of initiatives will cease to be news because all companies will already be responsible in gender matters and the glass ceiling will have already cracked.