1. Supporting Women Entrepreneurs
14.9.2012
Salthill Hotel Galway, Ireland
Tuulikki Juusela, CEO WomCo Ltd, Past
International President of BPW International
2. Some historical remarks
Beijing Platform for Action adopted by all
189 countries at the UN Fourth
World Conference on Women in
1995 and the Millennium Declaration
adopted by 189 countries in 2000,
contribute to the overarching human
rights framework
6.3. 2012 marked 2 years since the launch of the WEP
3. Nordic countries
By having a strategic focus on supporting working
parents and dual income families, these countries
have the smallest gender gaps in terms of
economic empowerment and political
participation (World Economic Forum)
and boast some of the highest birth rates in Europe
as well as some of the most stable economies.
4. EMPOWERMENT
Empowerment means that people -
both women and men – can take control
over their lives: set their own agendas,
gain skills (or have their own skills
and knowledge recognized), increase
self-confidence, solve problems, and
develop self-reliance. It is both a process
and an outcome.
5. Women’s Empowerment Principles in Brief
1. Establish high-level corporate leadership for gender equality.
2. Treat all women and men fairly at work – respect and support human
rights and nondiscrimination.
3. Ensure the health, safety and well-being of all women and men
workers.
4. Promote education, training and professional development for women.
5. Implement enterprise development, supply chain and marketing
practices that empower women.
6. Promote equality through community initiatives and advocacy.
7. Measure and publicly report on progress to achieve gender equality.
6. Why get businessworld involved
Gender diversity helps business perform
better signals that self interest and common
interest can come together
Through ”gender lens” business can survey and
analyze current practices, benchmarks and
reporting practices
7. Gender diversity and business outcome
In Europe, of 89 publicly traded companies
with a market capitalization of over
150 million pounds, those with more
women in senior management and on
the board had, on average, more than
10 percent higher return on equity than
those companies with the least percentage
of women in leadership.
In Norway, Denmark and Finland a minimum representation of
women on boards of (majority) state-owned companies had
been mandated by law since many years
8. Research and studies: ‘Female Leadership and Firm Profitability’ by the
Finnish Business and Policy Forum EVA35 demonstrated that firms led by
women are more profitable (10-20%) than those led by men.
Corporate governance code: the recently (2008) updated code 36 includes the
recommendation that ‘…both genders shall be represented on the board’.
The code is applicable to large listed companies.
Quick governmental action: government has set the right example by putting
forward a target of appointing at least 40% women on boards of state-owned
companies and achieving it quickly.
Active role of the media: the Finnish media have actively published both
positive stories of companies that made a difference and bad examples of
companies with all-male boards. This has put pressure on companies to
make the necessary changes and avoid negative publicity.
The Finnish strategy, 4 components
9. Structures change
Women and men, individually
and collectively, challenge the routines,
conventions, laws, family forms, kinship
structures and taken-for-granted behaviors
that shape their lives – the accepted forms
of power and how these are perpetuated.
Listed above are the Women’s Empowerment Principles in brief… The seven Principles are designed to help the private sector focus on key elements for promoting gender equality in the workplace, marketplace and community.