Working Women’s Day: “Just 3% of the CEOs of large technology companies are women”
16 de March de 2020
16 de March de 2020
Discover the main problems women face in the 21st Century in EAE’s Working Women’s Day
“Just 3% of the CEOs of large technology companies are women”.
To mark International Women’s Month, on Friday, the Madrid Campus of EAE Business School hosted the presentation of the report on gender equality in Europe, Latin America and Spain. After a brief introduction by Pilar Llácer, the researcher and lecturer at the institution, the journalist Cristina Ruíz gave her presentation in front of a keen audience of around thirty people.
Karina Escobar, the ambassador of the UN’s Women Against Gender-based Violence program; Natalia Fernández, the Director of People and Transformation at Mutualidad de la Abogacía; and María Arribás, the CEO and Founder of getHERtalent were the other speakers who shared their respective insights and experiences. Among other issues, the report analyses violence against women, women in the economy, women in power and decision-making, and the institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women.
“In the European Union, men earn 16.2% more than women”.
“Firstly, women have to overcome our internal barriers, before tackling the external ones, because we place a lot of restrictions on ourselves”, explained Ruiz, discussing the measures that should be taken in her opinion. She also explained that, while women’s work and qualifications are increasingly receiving due recognition, there are still many obstacles for them to reach leadership positions. She therefore insisted that we have to “keep fighting to achieve this”. Moreover, she emphasized that “society also needs to be accompanied”.
“The policies of companies, organizations, institutions and the law must be aligned with the constant fight that women wage, otherwise it will be very difficult no matter how hard we try”, emphasized the communication professional specializing in the cultural and education sector.
“All over the world, more women than men graduate at all three levels of higher education. However, the number of women that make it to senior management or executive positions is less than half the number of men”.
Moreover, Ruiz encouraged “everyone, both women and men, to change starting at the family level, because it is the only way to generate a change at a business level further down the line”. In the speaker’s opinion, education at home is fundamental. “We have to offer girls the same opportunities as boys, eliminating the cultural bias that still exists in certain generations, with the idea of the strong man and women in their shadow. This is the first step towards rectifying this situation”.
Zero Tolerance of Violence
Still with a glazed look in her eyes when talking about the attack that almost killed her a few years ago, Karina Escobar underlined the importance of reporting any type of violence or abuse to the authorities.
“I reported my abuser when he had almost killed me. Unfortunately, there are many cases in which the outcome is fatal. With this in mind, I encourage anybody who finds themselves in this situation to accept that they are victims, to seek professional help immediately and, of course, to report the abuse”, explained the student of EAE Business School.
In terms of what to do if you are in situation similar to hers, she firstly recommended that “you accept that you are being abused, mistreated or violated in any respect”, explaining that “when we refuse to accept this fact, the fear of speaking out is far greater”.
“Once an abuser attacks a woman... it is essential that they look for help, both in terms of going to an organization and backing up their allegations later in court and getting support at a psychological level”.
“After acceptance, the next extremely important step is to contact the relevant organizations. Call the police of an institution that offers help to women, because it is well proven that an abuser who attacks a woman’s integrity is likely to repeat the pattern. Therefore, it is essential that they look for help, both in terms of going to an organization and backing up their allegations later in court and getting support at a psychological level”, she emphasized.
In order to help people who, like her, have been the victims of gender-based violence, Escobar gave out her contact and social media details. “After what happened, I trained as a coach and I personally contact anybody who feels vulnerable or in danger of such awful situations”.
To finish off, she emphasized that “most countries have adopted legal policies to penalize gender-based violence”, adding that UN Women is “working to ensure that this kind of measures continue to be accelerated. “In fact, the United Nations declared gender-based violence as a pandemic, underlining how essential it is that we take action on this issue”, she concluded.