Around the world, gender bias is attracting renewed attention. Through protest marches and viral social-media campaigns, women everywhere are demanding an end to sexual harassment, abuse, femicide and inequality.
But, as successful as the Me Too and Time's Up movements have been in raising public awareness, the struggle for parity is far from over. Empowering women and girls is key to achieving all 17 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. At the moment, however, gender bias remains a significant obstacle to global progress, and it is particularly acute in the workplace.
Today, only 5 percent of S&P 500 companies are led by women, according to Catalyst, a nonprofit CEO watchdog. That dismal figure is all the more remarkable when one considers that 73 percent of global firms allegedly have equal opportunity policies in place, according to a survey by the International Labor Organization (ILO). Moreover, while research shows a clear link between a company's gender balance and its financial health, women occupy fewer than 20 percent of governing board seats in the world's largest companies.