Gender studies have been gaining strength in modern society due to the social importance of the topic and discussions revolving around diversity, equity and inclusion. Accordingly, Professor Maria José Tonelli of FGV EAESP and Adriana Carvalho, the CEO of Generation Brasil, recently wrote an article highlighting contemporary challenges and advances in ensuring women’s full and effective participation at all levels of decision making in political, economic, and public spheres.

Published in FGV EAESP’s journal, GV-Executive, the paper delves into business initiatives aimed at women in an environment that is still predominantly masculine. Some measures that have been taken, regarding policies and practices in organizations in Brazil, are listed below:

• Gender and Race Pro-Equity Program: Launched by the federal government to promote gender and race agendas in companies, it initially had an impact on state-owned enterprises and later spread to private sector companies.
   
• Entrepreneurial Women’s Network: This organization promotes female entrepreneurship through events, acceleration programs, courses and a marketplace, among other initiatives.
   
• Outstanding Women’s Forum: Organized by CKZ Diversidade, this is a gathering of leaders advocating for gender equity and it is supported by UN Women and HeForShe.
   
• 360 Women Movement: This platform operates across three dimensions (promotion, systematization, and dissemination of knowledge and practices) with the goal of accelerating gender equity progress within companies and in their value chains.
   
• Women of Brazil Group: This group runs projects to promote the adoption of affirmative policies and eliminate gender, race, and social inequalities.

Challenges in this area

The authors provide the example of the feminist movement as a symbolic force highlighting the importance of diversity not only in the corporate world but also in other spheres of society.

“The current feminist movements, reinforced by #metoo, bring a diversity of perspectives to the issue of gender. Women’s access to organizational spaces triggers new identities and conceptions of femininity and questions dominant models of behavior. However, it is important to draw attention to the superficiality that sometimes surrounds these movements, as clichés and fads permeate the corporate world,” they write.

Despite progress made in organizational matters, some issues still persist, such as the following:

• Salary differences;
• The fact that women tend to do more domestic chores than men, and conflicts between family and professional life;
• Domestic violence;
• Challenges for older female executives;
• Leadership positions for black women;
• Burnout, especially since the pandemic.

“This is not about antagonism between men and women, but rather collaboration aimed at inclusive and equitable societies. The pandemic crisis of 2020 marked the end of an extended 20^th century and we are now asking how we will shape the 21^st century,” Tonelli and Carvalho write. “The challenge is to seek ethical paths for the development of companies and solutions to problems identified in the UN Sustainable Development Goals”.

To read the full article, click here.