Why we celebrate International Parity at Work Day every day

We celebrate this day to draw attention to equality in the workplace and to highlight the importance of an equal relationship between employers and employees. Equality in the workplace is an important factor in employee motivation and well-being. Combating discrimination and inequalities in the workplace is a global challenge that companies must address in order to succeed. 

It is a sad fact that women still have worse working conditions than men worldwide. Although we have made great strides in recent years, we are still far from equality. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) says that by 2050 there will be up to 30% fewer women in the workforce. This means that millions of girls and women will no longer be able to find work. Another sad fact is that women are paid on average 23% less than men. Again, according to the OECD, there has been no significant progress. This imbalance has far-reaching consequences for those who are affected by it - especially women and children. It's time to do something about it! That is why every day we celebrate International Parity at Work Day . With this day, we want to draw attention to injustice and emphasise the importance of equality in the workplace.

How can companies create a more equitable workplace? 

Unfortunately, there are no easy answers to this question. However, it is clear that tougher laws and regulations are needed to tackle pay inequality. In many countries, the gender pay imbalance is still far above average. For example, women in Germany earn 21% less than men, in the UK it is 18% and in the US 5%. Even in Sweden, a country with a long tradition of gender equality, the imbalance is 7%. 

So there is definitely a lot of room for improvement! If companies are serious about a more equitable world of work, they should take the following measures:

1. Pay gap analysis: 

Many companies already conduct regular salary comparisons between their employees. However, this should include investigating whether there are significant gender pay gaps - and if so - why? Only if the causes of the problem can be identified can effective measures be taken. The problem is often multi-layered and has to do with both structural character and individual behaviour of individuals or groups of individuals. 

2. Changing working conditions and management culture: 

Many companies are aware of the fact that working conditions and leadership culture are crucial for the success of a company. But often this knowledge is not put into practice. Yet it is precisely the leadership culture that is often responsible for women being disadvantaged in professional life. This is because men tend to be over-represented in leadership positions and women are under-trained accordingly. Working conditions can also have a negative impact on women's career opportunities. This is because it is often women who take on the greater share of family work and therefore have less time and energy to devote to their jobs.

3. Training the workforce: 

In order to achieve gender equality in a company, it is necessary that both the workforce and the managers are sensitised. Because only if all those involved are informed about the problem and know what it is about, can something be changed. Often, however, the problem does not lie with the managers, but with the attitudes and behaviour of the staff. They therefore need to be educated about the issue so that they can reflect on their own behaviour and change it if necessary.

4. Internal programmes and initiatives that promote and empower minorities.

In addition to educating and training the workforce, it can be very helpful to initiate internal programmes that promote minorities within the company.  See the next section to find out what options are available.

Amoria Bond's contributions to a gender-equal workplace

We don't pretend to be perfect, and we know we have work to do. But we are among a small minority of recruitment firms that run initiatives specifically for female employees - one of which is our ASCEND programme.

ASCEND is designed to attract, retain and promote more women to the Amoria Bond Group, regardless of seniority, tenure or role. ASCEND welcomes all employees who identify as female to regular virtual meetings, small groups and 1-2-1 mentoring, and also invites external experts and guest speakers.

We are proud of the impact this initiative has had in our company and the progress we have made - in 2022, 48% of all employees were female. 

However, ASCEND is just one of the programmes we offer to ensure our female colleagues are supported regardless of their seniority, position or role. We also host regular Lean In events, which provide opportunities for small discussion groups, mutual support, sharing of ideas and best practice. 

We continue to invest to ensure that everyone at Amoria Bond can reach their full potential, regardless of their background or differences. While we like to use International Parity at Work Day as an opportunity to raise awareness - we want to celebrate the underlying theme every day of the year.

Want to learn more about work parity and initiatives at Amoria Bond?

Here you can see all our Diversity & Inclusion initiatives that we have built up over the years. You can also read why the recruitment industry is a top career for women too in this article by our Regional Talent Attraction Manager Jenny Walsh... or listen to our podcast episode with Director Amy Steel on the subject.