The messages were typically much the same: How can we support women, how can we help as many women as possible get equal pay, how can we remove the barriers to women in leadership and how can we get more women in senior positions?
These are the conversations we regularly had in senior positions at McKinsey and in our home and work communities, in boardrooms, in living rooms, at watering holes, all across the UK. More people need to join this conversation, for a change, and realise that addressing the gender pay gap simply won’t happen without good senior women. They are just essential to closing the pay gap by increasing the number of women at the top of their careers. And many now understand the power of this role in securing greater responsibility, impact and protection for people and the world we all live in.
That’s why, in December this year, Unilever announced they would work with Sir Barbara Stocking, former chief executive of Oxfam and founder of Women In Leadership, to launch a new initiative in the workplace. The Goal for Change scheme is a coalition of leaders from Fortune 100 companies, but also from SMEs, who will share their stories of gender equality.
The Gender Pay Gap Means … podcast: Coming of age
Twenty-four leaders from across the UK will come together with Unilever to share their experiences and, ultimately, help to create shared sense of purpose, for the business and society that we all share. What do we want from women? What do we want from young women and what do we want from all those women hoping to succeed? What are our women’s dreams? How can we provide them with the support they need?
These conversations are often at a nascent stage but an example of a successful joint venture. In recent years, Unilever has played a key role in raising global awareness and action on gender equality, notably through working together with Johnson & Johnson on the anti-discrimination campaign, the #iseeeup campaign. The company introduced groundbreaking results and high-profile individual campaigns that positioned products as solutions to wider challenges such as safety and women’s rights. In May, Unilever urged its colleagues to sign the petition to abolish global roaming charges, an action that received two million signatures.
It’s not about ‘nannying’ or lecturing young women Read more
They may not all agree on the answer to how to solve the gender pay gap, but they will be able to draw on the case studies shared, who are experts in their sectors – we are getting a view from across the landscape and through their eyes.
As well as contributing new ideas to solutions to gender equality, as part of the event, participants will each be making pledges to support initiatives themselves and campaigns from next year. It’s an opportunity to be part of a cross-company forum with experienced professionals and developing leaders who can demonstrate that action is possible and significant progress can be made.
For more information please visit the event page
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