Davos: Leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos have reiterated their commitment to achieving gender parity, emphasizing the significant economic benefits of equal opportunities for men and women. Anna Bjerde, Managing Director of Operations at the World Bank, highlighted that global GDP could increase by 20% if women participated as actively as men in the economy. Michael Ensser, Chairman of Egon Zehnder, described the business case for gender equality as straightforward.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, despite the apparent consensus, there is growing backlash against gender equality initiatives. Women’s access to healthcare is under threat in many countries, with the World Health Organization indicating that women’s autonomy is declining in 40% of nations with available data. Lutfey Siddiqi, a special envoy from Bangladesh, suggested that tokenism and virtue-signaling in implementing gender parity measures might be contributing to this pushback.
Siddiqi argued that superficial approaches, such as imposing top-down solutions, are ineffective and may explain the resistance to gender equality. He criticized reductionist ESG scores and the lack of ownership within organizations for gender parity efforts. However, he emphasized that backlash should not deter continued efforts to achieve gender equality, advocating for a more inclusive culture built from the ground up.
Panellists at the session acknowledged the challenges in making meaningful progress, pointing to deeply ingrained socio-cultural attitudes as obstacles. Katherine Garrett-Cox, CEO of Gulf International Bank, expressed frustration at the slow pace of change, questioning whether some view the challenge as too difficult. Despite the complexities, the panellists agreed on the importance of prioritizing gender parity and fostering collaboration to learn from each other’s experiences. Anna Bjerde urged against abandoning the pursuit of gender equality, underscoring its significance for global progress.