A new year always brings some hand-wringing about how little headway we’ve made to achieve equality in the workplace.
Complicating the picture: Corporate diversity programs are facing a backlash, particularly in the U.S. where a court ruling on affirmative action has reverberated through boardrooms.
Women were already starting 2024 from a position of diminished strength — the pandemic upended progress on narrowing the gender and pay gaps. But as we leave the post-COVID-19 world behind, this is the time to right the ship. Businesses and governments should ignore the pushback and renew their support for initiatives to achieve equal representation and remuneration for women. When half of the population still trails in wages, executive ranks and pension savings, shunning efforts to fix workplace inequity is not an option.