Women’s Representation Not Equality Issue Alone; Organisations Benefit From It: UN Official

DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 17th Feb, 2020) Women’s representations in political and business organisations is not a gender equality issue alone, but an opportunity to make more growth also with women’s capabilities, a UN official told Emirates news Agency, WAM.

"Companies with women in senior management positions tend to earn more returns. This is the same case in banking sector as well. The evidence from the IMF [International Monetary Fund] research has proved this," said Pedro Conceicao, Director of Human Development Report Office at the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP.

Banking regulatory systems and banks with women in leadership positions likely to ensure a stable economy, he said in an interview on the sidelines of the Global Women’s Forum in Dubai, where he was a speaker.

"It is not only about gender equality but what women bring also to the management of organisations. They bring new perspectives and diversity to decision making [which help the organisations earn more benefits/ profits,]" Conceicao explained.

According to the IMF, its recent research shows that increasing financial inclusion, of both women and men, lifts economic growth. That research also shows that having more women in leadership positions leads to greater financial stability, lower levels of non-performing loans, and higher profits.

Banks with a higher share of women on their boards were more stable in 2008, when the Global Financial Crisis hit, said the IMF research.

The UNDP official said if the gap between men and women’s wages was filled, the world economy would go up by 10 to 30 percent. "Still women [with same qualification] earn [on average] 75 percent less than what men earn at workplace [worldwide]," Conceicao pointed out.

The Human Development Report published by the UNDP in December has discussed such inequalities in society and recommended measures to address them, he said.

Although women’s representation has improved in basic levels, still there is a gap at higher levels, the official noted. In political sphere, women have the right to vote, but they do not have enough representation in parliaments and governments.

There should be supportive measures for women to ensure work-life balance, such as childcare facilities, parental leaves etc., the official said.

In general, increasing investments in health and education will help women’s empowerment, Conceicao said.

The women’s empowerment in the UAE was result of this particular policy. Therefore, women have higher representation in higher education in the UAE. "They do better than men," the UN official pointed out.

As reported earlier, the UAE has topped the Arab World in the UN's Gender Equality Index 2019, and ranked 26th globally.