Equality only works if it works both ways

We believe that equality only works if it works both ways. Therefore, we would love to see as many men as possible engage for gender equality and for their stakes in the pie of family and social life. This in turn pays into the account of more women being able to contribute and participate in our economy, for the benefit of all. With so many highly qualified women entering professional life, we are facing a huge loss of talent if many of them keep stepping down after founding a family. And the majority never really finds the way back into career development in the corporate world.

Potential profit increase of between 5-20%

It is a proven fact that diverse teams perform better, are more innovative and likely to generate more profit. Latest numbers by the International Labor Association (ILO) state that companies which turn a blind eye to diversity management, miss out on a potential profit increase of between 5-20%. Also, there is more and more evidence that children with both parents present at home, who also both pursue a career, are better equipped for their future lives. This should not come as a surprise considering that they have both genders role modeling that they can thrive not only in one sphere but in all important areas of life. Reality in most cases looks different. Reconciling a meaningful professional career with care duties and time to recharge can be real a struggle in Switzerland. More and more leaders think that this shall change.

Changing the Game

Fostering female talent in the workforce and enabling male managers to become inclusive leaders is very important, yet it is not enough. It takes game changers in the way we work and live. It takes brave leaders in business, politics and education who dare re-inventing the rules and structures in an inclusive way. Be it in the way we allocate parental leave, offer flexible working models to all genders, make part-time and near full-time jobs (80-90%) attractive also for men. Or be it in the way we design our educational and taxation system or economically incentivize gender-balanced set-ups for instance through individual tax models. One thing is clear: We can only get there together!

Let’s team up!

The journey into a gender equal future takes team work. A lot remains to be done at the cross-roads of business, politics and society. And no one can do it alone. On our mission to increase gender balance in leadership, we will keep bundling forces across industries, companies, academia and media to drive our shared cause forward.

Authors: Alkistis Petropaki & Alexandra Rutsch