Mercer - an American human resources consulting firm - state that despite business organizations’ progress and good intentions, gender equality in the workforce is still a long way off.

A recent survey released at the beginning of March - Mercer’s ‘When Women Thrive 2020 Global Report’ - shows that 81 per cent of companies worldwide said that diversity and inclusion is important, but only 42 per cent have actually made a plan for reaching gender equality. 

Mercer surveyed senior HR and business leaders from more than 1,150 companies in 54 countries. This represented over 7 million employees worldwide and took in issues that included gender equity; accountability; leadership engagement and pay equity.

It found an improvement in that the rates for hiring, promoting and retaining women are now comparable to rates for men. The global workforce - up slightly from 38 per cent - includes 40 per cent of women, who make up 47 per cent of support staff and 42 per cent of professional level positions; senior staff and executives make up 29 per cent and 23 per cent respectively.

Martine Ferland - President and Chief Executive Officer of Mercer - stated:

“Gender equality has evolved into a global imperative, and organizations are taking actions to make a difference. However, as women continue to face challenges of unequal senior level representation and limited opportunities for career development and advancement across industries and geographies, there is still much work to do to achieve gender balance.”

But there is optimism showing progress as - according to Mercer’s research - rates for hiring, promoting and retaining women are now comparable to rates for men. This is an improvement from four years ago.

The research found that 72 per cent of organizations have teams dedicated to conducting pay equity analysis - a rise up from a previous 45 per cent. A robust statistical approach to conduct their pay equity analysis was used by 56 per cent, a rise up from 35 per cent. Mercer’s research also showed that 66 per cent of organizations report that senior executives are actively engaged in diversity and inclusion initiatives and programs - which is again a rise up, from 57 per cent in 2016.

Michelle Sequeira - Diversity and Inclusion expert at Mercer - stated:

“For the first time since the launch of our ‘When Women Thrive’ study, six years ago, we’re starting to see significant progress around female representation in business. However, unless the pace of change accelerates it will take us over 30 years to achieve full gender representation in the workplace. To enact real change businesses need to focus on inclusion as a whole and turn commitments to sustainable action. This includes prioritizing initiatives that build an end-to-end employee experience which is adaptable for all, fostering a culture of caring for diverse health and financial needs, and underpinning with policies and practices that embrace flexibility and a personalized work environment.”