While many employers are making strides in the right direction in terms of gender equality, breaking the glass ceiling and improving inclusion & diversity, women are often still at a disadvantage in the global workplace.The 2019 Women in the Workplace report by McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.org – the largest study of the state of women in corporate America, based on data from almost 600 companies – found that only 1 in 5 women are C-suite leaders and only 1 in 25 are women of colour. In addition, for every 100 men hired into entry-level positions, only 85 women are hired.The report states, “In the last five years, we’ve seen more women rise to the top levels of companies. Yet women continue to be underrepresented at every level. To change the numbers, companies need to focus on where the real problem is. We often talk about the ‘glass ceiling’ that prevents women from reaching senior leadership positions. In reality, the biggest obstacle that women face is much earlier in the pipeline, at the first step up to manager. Fixing this ‘broken rung’ is key to achieving parity.”

International Women’s Day 2020

One initiative that is working to redress the balance and push for gender parity is International Women's Day (IWD), which has occurred for well over a century. It celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women and also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality.This year, IWD will be held on 8 March and its 2020 campaign theme is #Eachforequal, which draws on the notion of ‘collective individualism’.  The campaign explains, “We are all parts of a whole. Our individual actions, conversations, behaviors and mindsets can have an impact on our larger society. Collectively, we can make change happen. Collectively, we can each help to create a gender equal world. We can all choose to be #EachforEqual.”

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Related articles

• Think Women: encouraging a workforce where women thrive 

Find out what happened in 2019:

• Inspirational speakers at Relocate’s International Women’s Day lunch

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As part of the IWD celebrations and to honour aspiring women across diverse industries who are doing great things in their sector or community, Relocate is hosting the Think Women lunch on 6 March at the Institute of Directors, London. The morning workshop and lunch will explore how to support women to progress in international and professional careers and discuss how inclusion, leadership development and education can promote more opportunities globally for women and girls.

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Join us at Think Women on 6 May at the IoD in London to hear more inspiring stories from women in international careers, juggling family responsibilities, starting out or changing direction. Discover how you can make a difference in your organisation, community or to your own career progression.

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Lunch keynote speaker

We are thrilled to announce that Vlatka Hlupic is, our lunch keynote speaker at Think Women.Professor Vlatka Hlupic is an award-winning international thought leader, author of “The Management Shift” and “Humane Capital” books, leading academic and Professor of Leadership and Organizational Transformation at Hult Ashridge Executive Education, management consultant, inspiring speaker, executive coach, CEO and founder of The Management Shift Consulting and Drucker Society London.Driven by her passion and purpose to make this world a better place, she is creating a global impact with her work, helping thousands of leaders and organisations worldwide to shift to a higher level of performance and profit whilst creating more engaging, purposeful and happier work places that do well by doing good.She will speak to our Think Women audience about the power of creating positive ripples which can be transformational for women wanting to make a difference in their lives, careers, their organisations and in their communities. Her research driven approach, demonstrates how the few affect the whole, and her engaging talk and understanding of people and business will be inspirational to all. Join us and share your views over lunch.

Workshop speakers

Teresa Boughey is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), founder and CEO of Jungle HR and best-selling author of Closing the Gap – 5 Steps to Creating an Inclusive Culture, which has been shortlisted for a Business Book Award 2020. She is passionate about enabling organisations to create inclusive workplace cultures.Ann Ellis is the co-founder and CEO of Mauve. She delivers keynote talks around the world at events such as the Millennials Engagement Congress in Colombia and Global Business News’ World Trade seminars – and now Think Women – sharing her learnings and experiences from 25 years at the helm of an expanding global organisation.Carrie Clark has spent more than a decade pursuing her dream of becoming an airline pilot. She aims to make the aviation industry more accessible to people from all backgrounds and encourage a more diverse group of young people to become the next generation of pilots – particularly women.

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Relocate’s Think Women lunch will be held on 6 March at the Institute of Directors, London as part of the celebrations for International Women’s Day. Hear from, and network with, inspiring women and men. Support women and girls to progress in international careers. 

 

Similar Think Women events will be held in EMEA, APAC and the Americas later in the year and virtually. Contact us at events@relocatemagazine.com to find out how you can be involved in your area.

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