Gender Equality and the Corporate Sector

Lisa Warth ()
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Lisa Warth: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

No 2009_4, ECE Discussion Papers Series from UNECE

Abstract: This paper focuses on how the commitment of businesses to promote gender equality within their organisations can be strengthened. A dual approach of encouraging voluntary measures and corporate social responsibility for gender equality on the one hand, and regulating and enforcing change through legislative reforms on the other hand are reviewed, focusing mainly on the European region. There are arguments for a business case for gender equality in terms of better financial performance and competitiveness, improved recruitment, and retention of talent. Nevertheless gender inequalities in employment prevail. Focusing on the areas women in management and decision-making, gender pay gap and work-family reconciliation, the paper reviews innovative policy measures undertaken in the European region assessing the merits of encouragement versus regulation. The paper concludes that employers cannot solve persisting gender inequalities in the corporate sector on their own. A mix of encouraging, enabling, and obliging measures is needed to advance gender equality in the corporate sector.

Keywords: gender equality; corporate sector; government policy; gender pay gap; work-family reconciliation; women in management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D61 I38 J16 J21 J22 J24 J31 J58 J81 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 22 pages
Date: 2009-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-lab
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Published in UNECE Discussion Paper Series, No. 2009_4

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ece:dispap:2009_4

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