The global campaign for gender equality, particularly in the workplace, is gathering momentum. In Nigeria, where the gospel of gender inclusion has gained significance, some private sector operators, the government, and the society latched on this year’s International Women’s Day to renew the push for a gender-balanced workforce. They noted that enhanced access to the different but complementary leadership skills, wider talent pool, and insights women bring to management will drive economic growth and development. Assistant Editor CHIKODI OKEREOCHA reports.
Multinational food and beverage company Nestlé has raised the bar in the global campaign to prioritise workplace gender balance to boost productivity. With the launch of its Gender Balance Acceleration Plan, the company has moved a notch higher in its quest to become the reference point in the push for a gender-balanced and truly equal workplace.
Essentially, Nestlé, through the plan tagged: From aspiration to action, said it was enhancing its performance by increasing the number of women in departments that traditionally hire men. Consequently, to close the gender gap, its Technical and Supply Chain Management departments are looking to recruit a majority of women as graduate trainees.
The company’s strategic decision to tilt the gender balance in favour of women also includes, at least, one female candidate in its final interview stage for job applicants. In doing so, Nestlé was convinced that embracing diversity and increasing the number of women in leadership roles and in the workforce was key to driving productivity and growth.
The Factory Manager of the Flowergate Factory, which includes the first 100 per cent female production line in Nestlé Nigeria, Ibukun Ipinmoye, confirmed this when he admitted that there has been an increase in productivity because of Nestlé’s commitment to enhancing gender balance in its workforce and empowering women across the entire value chain.
Ipinmoye saidx: “We realised that the female production lines are very productive, thanks to their highly committed and collaborative spirit and their careful handling of the equipment. Gender diversity has helped to boost productivity. As a result, we plan to introduce female operators to more complex lines to utilise their multi-tasking skills, and aim to hire 80 per cent of female management trainees.”
The Nation learnt that 43.2 per cent of Nestlé’s manager positions are held by women, while 31.8 per cent its senior leadership roles are held by women. The launch of the plan was part of its activities to highlight this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD). It was also to help achieve her vision to be a gender-balanced and truly equal workplace that can serve as an example to others.
The IWD is celebrated on March 8 yearly to achieve one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the United Nation (UNs’) 2030 Agenda, which seeks to “achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”. This year’s edition was themed: Balance for Better. The 2019 initiative was also aimed at creating greater awareness of discrimination and a celebration of women’s achievements.
Nestlé rode on the platform of this year’s IWD to bring its Gender Balance Acceleration Plan to life through its multi-pronged initiatives, such as trainings to raise awareness on gender biases, career development and mentoring programmes for women.
Other initiatives include its gender-sensitive succession planning, offering breastfeeding rooms and nurseries at work, as well as the implementation of its Maternity Protection Policy.
However, Nestlé was not the only company that leveraged on this year’s IWD to draw attention to its gender-inclusive milestones and also articulate strategies to further close the gender gap. PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc was also not left out.
The multinational said it joined the global community to celebrate the event as part of its responsibility to set and drive the momentum towards achieving a more gender-balanced and enabling workplace.
The company, which deals in beauty care and household products, reaffirmed its commitment to the advancement of affirmative action, noting that it was the panacea for an all-inclusive development as enshrined in the UN SDG 5.
At a colloquium it organised in Lagos to celebrate this year’s IWD, PZ Cussons Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Christos Giannopoulos said women in the company had contributed immensely in providing consumer insights and crafting winning marketing strategies.
He stated that PZ Cussons was an equal opportunity employer and that opportunities were opened to all, irrespective of their gender. And to underscore this fact, Giannopoulos said PZ Cussons’ Global Chairperson is a lady.
PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc Executive Director, Human Resources and Administration, Ms Joyce Folake Coker, confirmed this much when she said: “For a long time, PZ Cussons Nigeria prides itself as a company with a number of women on its Board and it has women in both senior managerial and other positions.”
The key guest speaker, Chief Nike Akande, reminded the audience that women remained the foundation of any society. The former President of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), therefore, called for action to accelerate gender parity.
Workers of management of Dairy firm FrieslandCampina WAMCO also took time off to mark the IWD at its premises in Ogba-Ikeja, Lagos. Its Corporate Affairs Director, Ore Famurewa, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to achieving gender balance in the workplace.
Public sector joins the fray
However, the renewed campaign for gender parity was not entirely a private-sector driven initiative. The public sector also threw its hat in the affirmative action ring.
For instance, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, was emphatic that “Gender equality is a driver for economic growth and a prerequisite for achieving the 2030 global development agenda.”
Speaking at an event organised by the CBN to celebrate the IWD in Abuja, he said there is the need to increase the level of participation of women in key positions in the private sector, noting, for instance, that the present situation where only three out of the 27 chief executive officers of banks in Nigeria were women was not acceptable.
He said the CBN was mindful of the importance of women in the society, which was why it had championed the cause of women in the society.
According to Emefiele, the number of female directors in the CBN moved up from one in 2001 to six in 2017. The percentage of women employees in the CBN also moved up from 24 per cent in 2013 to 28 per cent in 2017.
The CBN boss added that the apex bank had over the years been implementing various programmes and policies aimed at developing the economic potential and development of women.
This was in realisation of a 2017 McKinsey research, which showed that if women’s economic participation were at the same level as men, $28 trillion could be added to the world’s economic growth by 2025.
This is particularly true for the financial services sector, where a 2018 study by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) showed that greater inclusion of women as users, providers, and regulators of financial services have benefits beyond addressing gender inequality.
“Narrowing the gender gap would foster greater stability in the banking system and enhance economic growth,” the study said.
Overall, a World Economic Forum Gender Gap Report (2018) said there is an average 32 per cent gender gap that needs to be closed and going by the trend, the overall global gender gap will close in 108 years.
But, with the Nigerian Government throwing its weight behind the push for gender equality, hopes of closing the gap are getting brighter. The Minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, said in Nigeria, women comprised more than half of the population, adding that for sustainable growth to be achieved, women should be given the requisite support to succeed.
“It is important that government continues to develop and implement policies, regulatory frameworks, and programmes that are inclusive and gender-sensitive. This will help remove the socio-economic and cultural barriers that prevent women from participating fully in society and from reaping the economic benefits of their participation,” the Minister said, in Abuja.
Ahmed said this was especially important given the evidence that gender-neutral policies are often applied in ways that exclude and disenfranchise women stakeholders and other vulnerable communities. “Women must have a ‘seat at the table’, and be co-creators of any strategic interventions aimed at ensuring gender parity in the long run,” she said.
The World Bank is also involved in the effort to address gender inequality in workplaces. The bank in its latest reports identified improved job opportunities for women and girls at all levels of productive engagements as key to ongoing efforts aimed at alleviating poverty, increasing GDP in national economies and bridging the gender gap between men and women across the world.
It noted that policy makers, private sector and other job providers would be contributing to the global socio-economic agenda targeted at closing the gender-inequality gap if they showed commitment to removing all barriers to women and girls employment and by implication, adding significantly to the global development values.
The challenges
Despite the avowed commitment of the private and public sectors to close the agenda gap especially in the workplace, it is still not a walk in the park. Creating gender balance on the factory floors or in offices does not come without some obstacles.
Pressure to conform to gender stereotypes, resistance from men, adapting work patterns to family life and maternity commitments, and the shortage of females in certain fields like engineering, are just some of the gender balance challenges that working women face.
The case of the Production Manager for Milks in Nestlé Ghana, Julia Atta, perhaps, brings the challenges nearer home. Atta was appointed as the first female production manager for Nestlé CWAR last year – marking a milestone for the company in the region.
She explained that she went into this ‘non-traditional’ line of work for women to change mind-sets and make an impact, but this came with its challenges. “For any women in a male-dominated environment, even a genuine reason can become a woman’s excuse.
“For example, I felt I had to turn down an opportunity to go into production because I got pregnant, even though factory management made me an offer. At the time, I was unsure it was the right decision to join, as production was not seen as an ideal environment for my ‘condition’,” Atta said.
She, however, added: “Thanks to the support of management, I had another opportunity to take up a role outside of the country for five months. However, others made me feel like I had made the wrong decision to leave my young child behind – but I was determined to make it work.”
Today, Julia heads the milk production and technical team, leading the production, quality, safety, cost and delivery of 130 tonnes of evaporated milk a day, while also developing her team of junior and senior employees.
But, beyond her obvious commitment to succeed in a male-dominated work environment, what is also required to close the gender gap or at least, reduce it significantly is, in the words of Emefiele, “collective action”.