It’s 2021. Female empowerment is crucial in the workplace. Here are 4 reasons why.
Although women make up roughly 50% of the workforce, they account for a relatively small percentage of leadership positions.
Women make up 64% of the world’s illiterate population.
And women make up just 23% of the world’s politicians.
Whether you want to admit it or not, gender inequity is still the status quo in the majority of the world. But there is hope. There are pockets of good; there are equitable spaces. You simply have to seek them out, or — even better — create them.
The more people who are working to implement positive gender change now, the more fair our future will be. Similarly, the more people who care enough to educate themselves about female empowerment in the workplace, the better our world will be.
Read on for four reasons why female empowerment is essential in the workplace.
(You can also scroll down for a list of ways you can implement female empowerment in colleagues and staff members at your workplace.)
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1. Increases Profitability
Diversity increases profitability. Your company will benefit financially from having more women in decision-making positions.
Research shows that company profits and share performance can be close to 50% higher when women are well-represented at the top of the corporate ladder.
Moreover, reputable studies highlight the fact that gender-diverse units have better financial outcomes than those dominated by one gender.
Moreover, women bring a lot more to the table than a mere difference in gender.
More diverse groups of employees tend to have higher productivity levels.
More diverse groups of employees have a wider, more comprehensive range of opinions, ideas, and strategies.
Furthermore, women (for the most part) are skilled at easily expanding their aperture to see the whole. Women are for the most part better at handling stress and conflict and less likely to hold rigid perspectives on a variety of issues.
Women Leaders are more likely to encourage all voices to be heard.
2. Builds Positive Company Culture
Women are more likely than men to embrace employee-friendly policies and programs, McKinsey reports. Women are also more likely to champion racial and gender diversity.
More than 50% of senior-level women say they consistently take a public stand for gender and racial equity at work, compared with about 40% of senior-level men.
A more positive company culture creates more engaged and creative employees. A more inclusive company culture also increases its value to qualified candidates.
If a company promotes equity programs, they are more likely to attract educated and experienced professionals.
3. Drives Transparency & Efficiency
Mandatory participation in bias training and equity programs not only makes people more aware of their own biases and prejudices but also makes them feel more comfortable sharing their vulnerabilities.
This improves workplace communication — and improved communication increases efficiency and productivity.
4. Increases Your Staff’s Potential
Women are more likely than men to mentor other women in the workplace. They are more likely to take an intentional interest in the careers of other women, and work to promote and support their advancement.
If you’re a manager, this essentially means that women who feel empowered at work will do a large, and important, part of your job for you.
It is increasingly vital for companies to retain female staff members, and if you have women promoting your company and its inclusive organizational culture, that’s pretty much the best free advertising you can get.
But although female representation is climbing, we still have a ways to go.
In 2019, the number of female CEOs of Fortune 500 companies reached an all-time high, but that number was still only 6.6%.
There is considerable work to be done, but achieving a more equitable working environment is possible, and there are a number of small steps you can take to increase equity in your workplace.
What You Can Do To Drive Equity In Your Workplace
Recognizing bias, underrepresentation, and other gaps within your own workplace is the best step forward, one that will take you and your company in the right direction.
Read on for a list of ways you can empower female colleagues and staff members at your workplace.
How to Empower Female Employees
Be intentional about gender diversity in the recruiting process.
Establish set goals for improving gender diversity.
Revise outdated policies. One example is maternity leave; forward-thinking companies offer paternity leave of equal length.
Pay equally for equal work and experience.
Design a leadership pipeline that specifically targets women and includes interventions to respond to unforeseen barriers.
Enhance awareness of unconscious bias through education and training programs.
Involve the people in power. Place key decision-makers at the heart of the diversity effort; don’t simply rely on the expertise of human resource management and staff.
How to Empower Female Colleagues
Amplify female voices. Don’t talk over women, and please don’t summarize what you think they’re saying.
Actively participate in education and training programs relating to workplace diversity and equity.
If you’re in a position of leadership, mentor a female colleague. Schedule weekly check-ins and set goals together to advance her career.
Listen. Sometimes the best advice is to simply keep your mouth closed and take in the diverse perspectives of your colleagues, male and female.
Don’t think of behaviors as “male” or “female.” Men can be cooperative learners, and women can be powerful decision-makers. Categorizing behaviors, attitudes, or actions as gender-specific is both personally demeaning and generally destructive to an inclusive workplace.
To Empower Others, You Must First Empower Yourself
Eager to begin your journey of self-development and female empowerment?
Remember, you can only do for others what you do for yourself. As you embark on being part of the solution for equity, diversity and inclusion take time for yourself to reflect, recharge, and expand.
When you give yourself the gift of defining your purpose and passion and then master getting yourself in the zone, you can accomplish anything.
Come to Ignite Power and unlock your passion, purpose, and potential. Ignite Power is a virtual Women’s Leadership Retreat that
inspires vision, deepens self-awareness, encourages the empowerment of self and others, and brings together a community of strong women across all cultures and generations.
Attendees have experienced heightened clarity, success in their personal and professional spaces, and renewed determination and dedication to the process of empowerment. The goal of the retreat is to pave a path for yourself towards a state of peak joy, happiness, productivity, power, resilience, and fulfillment.
Some of the retreat offerings include:
Interactive creative exercises to envision your future as a leader
Daily meditation, feminine-centered yoga, and Nei Gong designed to tap into your innate feminine intelligence
Exploration of your range of mature masculine/feminine and immature masculine/feminine sides
Identification of blockers and recognize how to shift limiting beliefs
Health, wellness, and vitality mindset and practices
Tailored rituals to enable your internal power to intentionally live a life you love
Whether you’re an established female exec who is struggling to lead with ease or an emerging fempreneur who is looking for personal and professional clarity and confidence.
Find out more about who we are and whether Ignite Power is right for you.