To improve parity, or at least the representation of women, we should not expect everything to come from political measures. This is what emerged from discussions with over a hundred women as part of our “Women on Board” feature. Companies also have a role to play, but not the only one. Giving women their rightful place is also a question of education and culture. Here are some of the measures proposed by women directors in Luxembourg to accelerate change.
On the political front
“Gender parity will not happen organically. It requires intention and action, particularly political action,” says Wafa Cheriti, partner and founder of Excelsia Concilia.
The manager of Ferber Salons and director of the Ferber Group, suggests a solution: the introduction of aids to give women more support at home with their daily chores. “We have brilliant women who put aside their careers to look after children. Facilitating support in the home--with nannies or au pairs, for example--and simplifying the processes for hiring these helpers could make a big difference. This would enable more women to reconcile family life with their professional ambition.”
But politics alone cannot solve everything. “In my view, a combination of policy, practice and cultural change is needed. Setting quotas or clear, time-bound targets for the representation of women on boards of directors and in management positions can significantly accelerate progress towards gender parity. In addition, companies must implement transparent and impartial hiring and promotion practices,” argues Christiane Hoffranzen, head of corporate secretariat at Deutsche Bank Group Luxembourg.
Within companies
Companies also have a role to play. Take the example of Elvinger Hoss Prussen, which did not wait for political measures to promote diversity--and not just gender diversity. The flexibility of working environments and the training opportunities that companies can offer also help to “strengthen the confidence and skills of women,” says , who is now more active in Belgium, but who has long worked as president of the Luxembourg Medicines Verification Organisation (LMVO) and co-founder of Letzpact and Eupati Luxembourg.
In the civil service, for example, this flexibility is exploited to a greater extent, says , director of the National Archives and president of the International Council on Archives. “Generally speaking, I think that working for the civil service in Luxembourg is a great privilege. Today, maternity leave, parental leave, leave for family reasons and other forms of leave make it possible to adjust working hours in a completely different way to when I first joined the labour market, when balancing private life, children, housework and professional life was sometimes a real feat.”
Other elements are put forward by some women, such as greater “transparency in the recruitment process,” as , deputy director and CIO of the national employment agency Adem, points out.
Imagine if invitations to tender could only be sent to companies that have been awarded a label that includes gender diversity as a criterion for obtaining it.
, a trustee at St George’s International School, proposes, for example, that “companies should be required to disclose diversity data and strategies, set up mentoring and sponsorship programmes for women, train managers and ensure diversity in board appointments.”
“In their listing rules, exchanges may require issuers to adopt a board diversity policy and to provide information on related objectives, plans and timetables in their annual reports. Some countries have introduced targets in their respective corporate governance codes, company laws and listing rules, and/or applicable on a ‘comply or explain’ (and disclose) basis,” adds , a director on several boards in Luxembourg.
Yasmine Din, head of relationship management & client services at BNP Paribas Securities Services, suggests another alternative, with recognition for companies that “play the game, for example via labels, which could be a gateway for business. Imagine if invitations to tender could only be sent to companies that are recognised by a label, such as that of the INDR for socially responsible companies (for which gender diversity is one of the criteria for obtaining the label).”
A question of education...
Raising awareness of equality and parity issues from a very early age seems to be a must for the women we interviewed. But this also applies to all ages. “Raising awareness of the subject is a good start, as is raising awareness of issues such as unconscious bias--it is above all an individual task for each person in a position where they will be called upon to help members of their team progress, ideally regardless of their gender,” says , a partner at NautaDutilh.
“A combination of awareness-raising to provide a real understanding of the discrimination faced by women and concrete policies, such as mentoring networks for women, are solutions. But, above all, we need to start educating all children from the earliest age (by the age of six, a child has already integrated all the stereotypes of society), so as not to reproduce stereotyped patterns,” continues IMS director .
It’s not just an issue for women
More generally, for Sonia Franck, “to truly encourage parity, it is essential to recognise that change cannot come from women alone. Men also play a crucial role as allies and partners in this process.”
Ultimately, this starts in the private sphere, at home. “One of the key points, in my view, is the increasing involvement of men in family tasks, which restores a certain gender balance,” believes Adem director and state councillor , who sits on the boards of the Idea Foundation, the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) and the CFL.
Marilène Marquès, deputy head of the legal governance business unit at Spuerkeess, also suggests “involving men in discussions on equality and training women to negotiate their career development, since many women do not ‘dare’ and/or do not ‘know how to position themselves’ when faced with a promotion opportunity, and censor themselves despite their skills.”
Mentoring and role models
Amongst the other solutions proposed, mentoring was often cited. This is linked to the importance of role models, who “help people realise that women can and should take on leadership roles.” “To complement this, it is important to put in place mentoring and training policies that encourage the growth of women in organisations. These initiatives need to be complemented by programmes to raise awareness of unconscious bias, encouraging all staff to reflect on their attitudes and actions,” believes Sonia Franck.
One of the keys is to promote inspirational role models and encourage women to train.
In a similar vein, , director of brand & content at Deloitte since mid-January, advocates “increasing the pool of talent available for such positions. Mentoring programmes that could support and prepare women to consider and prepare for board positions are excellent ways of achieving this. Similarly, improving networking opportunities in specific forums where women can come into contact with current board members and decision-makers to explore options is another solution,” she believes.
More generally, “one of the keys is to promote challenging role models and encourage women to train, but above all to take up these positions,” stresses , deputy director of the Athénée and chair of the Rotondes board of directors.
This article was originally published in .