Women’s economic empowerment is a hot topic in China – which is home to 29 million female entrepreneurs. According to a Grant Thornton report, the country has the world’s highest proportion of women in senior management positions. However, despite Chinese businesses’ willingness to improve gender ratios, women still lack equal opportunities with their male counterparts in many sectors.
It is widely accepted that corporations need to push women’s career development more systematically, rather than depending on government-imposed quotas. And the theme of women’s development and empowerment is being highlighted at an upcoming women’s business and trade initiative in Shanghai, which has two of the most well-known global organisations amongst its supporters.
The United Nations (UN) and Shanghai Women’s Federation (SWF) have both confirmed their participation at the Women in Leadership (WIL) Economic Forum China on September 26th and 27th 2013, hosted and organised by French deal facilitation group naseba.
The UN is the world’s largest international organisation, best known for promoting and facilitating cooperation in international security, economic development and social progress. The SWF aims to represent and protect women’s rights and interests, and promote equality between men and women.
In 2009, the UN launched its Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEP). They are seven principles offering guidance on how to empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community, and include: establishing highlevel corporate leadership for gender equality; treating all women and men fairly at work by respecting and supporting human rights and non-discrimination; and promoting education, training and professional development for women.
The SWF was founded in 1950, and is a mass organisation striving for women’s further advancement under the leadership of the Communist Party of China.It has members from: Shanghai Women Employees’ Committee trade unions, Shanghai March 8th Red Banner Pacesetters Association, Shanghai Women Engineers Association, Shanghai Women Doctors Association and Shanghai Women Lawyers Association.
The Annual WIL Economic Forum China aims to highlight the achievements of women’s economic empowerment and leadership. It provides a platform for trade associations from East Asia, South East Asia, the Indian sub-continentand the Gulf region to meet and discuss partnerships and expansion plans with women-led businesses in China.
The two days feature a number of powerful speakers, including Susan Moore, Founder and CEO of Gender Economics.com (Australia). When asked about her expectations for gender diversity and workplace inclusion in the future, she said: “I think that we will see a shift away from the human resources view of diversity and move more fully into a business transformation view as organisations increasingly recognise that they need to compete in a global market. This global market increases the need for companies to recognise a full range of diversity including the complexities of cross cultural management.