As the World Health Organization (WHO) stated, removing barriers to abortion protects people’s lives, health, and human rights. The overturning of Roe v. Wade has removed this protection for millions of people and forced the world to take another monumental step back in the fight for gender equity.
This regression of people’s rights compounds with the continued negative impact COVID has had on women in particular; according to the World Economic Forum (WEF), the pandemic increased the number of years it will take to eliminate gender inequality from 99.5 to 135.6 years.
Now there are concerns the world may also be entering a recession. Fear of such has already seen some employers begin to implement hiring freezes and layoffs. We won’t lie, we’re scared of what this means for gender equity. We’re particularly concerned for those from marginalized or disadvantaged groups, who we know are harder hit by both the overturning of Roe Vs Wade and the pandemic.
This is a call to action: Employers must not let gender equity progress take another blow. We must recognize that diversity, equity, and inclusion can and must remain a priority, through good times and bad.
At WORK180, we’ll continue to support employers to take meaningful action and empower women through transparency. In addition to our Employer Directory, via which the companies we endorse openly share their policies and initiatives with our community, we’ve been working hard to develop our Equity Audit.
The audit is a framework that allows employers to tangibly measure, track and benchmark their diversity, equity and inclusion progress. It goes above and beyond representation, and will enable employers to demonstrate progress through one trackable metric.
We’ve been impressed by the sheer volume of employers who will be making these results transparent in annual reports and ESG updates to customers, shareholders, and employees. And at WORK180, we’ll be using this dataset to release a baseline score that drives action with employers across the globe.
We must all take responsibility to ensure that this score only goes up.
If you don’t currently work with us and would like to ensure your organization is taking action to continue progressing towards an equitable world, please get in touch.
Kind regards,
Gemma Lloyd and Valeria Ignatieva
Co-CEOs of WORK180
More on WORK180
WORK180 is global platform with a mission to raise organizational standards so that all women* can choose workplaces where they can thrive.
We support and endorse employers who are striving to do better – build a diverse workforce, have more inclusive policies, hold themselves accountable to progressive change. And we connect these employers with a global community of women from all backgrounds who care about gender equity and want to feel informed, understood, respected, and empowered in their career choices.
To find out exactly how we do what we do, watch our short video:
