In a report by the World Economic Forum released in 2023, it will take 169 years to close the gap in access to economic participation and opportunities for women and girls. The inclusion of women in the labor market and pay transparency policies are key to improving this gap. Some of the measures adopted by the EU in recent years are increasing the number of women on company boards and improving the work-life balance. However, these are only a few of the challenges that hinder women’s participation in the economy and to take advantage of the opportunities it offers.
A key challenge for businesses is dealing with discrimination
that extends beyond the workplace, into the supply chains and the community. Discrimination can also adversely affect other rights: education, decent work, safe working conditions, family life, and access to effective remedies. The state establishes mechanisms for protection against discrimination that serve as a basis on which companies create their policies. However, these mechanisms are not sufficient to deal with the cultural and social norms and stereotypes that can be an obstacle when attracting women and men to some professions.
On the other hand, the problem of workplace harassment often remains unaddressed due to a lack of protection mechanisms. Small and medium enterprises also face increasing regulatory demands and often lack funding which can harm supply chains, especially where companies are owned by women. Therefore, the trends are to create more sustainable supply chains by promoting entrepreneurship programs and income diversification.
Diversity, inclusion and inclusion initiatives and policies
In Bulgaria, recent trends indicate the development of different diversity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives that focus on improving the effectiveness of teams and the inclusion of people with different abilities. These initiatives represent only one part of the solutions in which businesses can participate in improving gender equality.
The due diligence process encourages companies to carry out a risk assessment of the potential adverse impact on human rights. The Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights from a gender lens provide recommendations to states and businesses on how to take into consideration women and girls when providing solutions.
When companies conduct the risk assessment from a gender equality perspective, they can adopt the following measures: subsidizing kindergartens and lunch for school-age children; improving grievance mechanisms when dealing with workplace harassment; and undergoing training and workshops to improve supply chain practices.
The gender-focused risk assessment allows for a deeper analysis of the workplace, the supply chain, and the community human rights risks and considers that girls and women a more often disproportionately affected by business activities.
