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Women in Iceland want you to know it's not a gender equality utopia, despite what the statistics say

<ul><li>UN’s list of top 10 countries with gender equality is empty.</li><li>According to UN, no country will be able to meet the gender equality targets — to end discrimination and violence against women — by 2030. </li><li>Even when several governments and organisations claim to be doubling their efforts, 1.4 million women are girls fall prey to discrimination, violence and sexism. </li></ul>So far, no country in the world has achieved gender equality, according to the United Nations. 
 
 
 
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 United Nations developed 17 <keyword id="879547" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="sustainable-development-goals">Sustainable Development Goals</keyword> (<keyword id="450172" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="sdgs">SDGs</keyword>) in September 2015,to end global poverty, reduce gender inequality, improve literacy level and others. As many as 193 nations promised to work on it. A few governments and organisations claim to be doubling their efforts, yet 1.4 million women are girls fall prey to discrimination, violence and sexism. According to UN, no country will be able to meet the gender equality targets by 2030. “Women and girls represent half of the world’s population, and yet, no country on the planet has achieved gender equality. Women are underrepresented at all levels of political leadership, face inequalities often beginning at birth and following them all their lives, and women continue to experience violence in all parts of the world. Advancing gender equality and empowering women is critical to achieving the GlobalGoals and a better future for all,” <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B5B8Pp5lmqI/"> wrote UN</a>. The vicious circle of poor health, unhealthy children and absence from classroom Women are hungrier, more discriminated, and poorer than men, according to the United Nations. These women often suffer from serious diseases like anemia during pregnancy, giving birth to unhealthy children. To put it simply, they are trapped in a vicious circle of unhealthy life, discrimination and poverty. Their misery doesn’t end here. According to UN, “One in five women and girls under the age of 50 reported experiencing physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner within a 12-month period.” Governments across the world introduced several policies to bring women on par with men in terms of development. However, given the alarming rates of all the problems including health issues, unemployment, illiteracy, these measures are not taking effect. “Economic divide continues to reinforce the gender divide, contributing to higher rates of unemployment and illiteracy among women when compared to men,” said the UN. 
 
 
 
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Which country can achieve gender equality by 2030 ? The answer is none, UN laments

San Francisco, In partnership with <keyword id="329907" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="UN-Women">UN Women</keyword> and <keyword id="9430696" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-un-human-rights-office">the UN Human Rights Office</keyword>, <keyword id="6354616" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Twitter">Twitter</keyword> is launching <keyword id="10330887" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="custom-emojis">custom emojis</keyword> to spread awareness on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on Wednesday, and Human Rights Day on December 10. The emojis will appear when people tweet with the hashtags #GenerationEquality, #OrangeTheWorld, #16Days, #HumanRightsDay, and other localised hashtags, Twitter said on Tuesday. Twitter said it is also supporting local nonprofits across the world by providing "Ads for Good" grants to several partners to ensure that they can use the power of Twitter's advertising platform to reach more people. Throughout the next #16Days, the microblogging platform will also amplify various regional campaigns and messages about the importance of <keyword id="6372584" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="gender-equality">gender equality</keyword> and combatting violence against women to increase engagement and awareness. "We have seen the whole world respond to the coronavirus pandemic with all hands on deck, and with responsive investment and protocols backed by determination. Violence against women is also a pandemic -- one that predates the virus and will outlive it," Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director, UN Women, said in a statement. "As we face COVID-19's devastation, there has never been a more important moment to put our combined resources and commitment behind the biggest issues, and work with partners like Twitter to end violence against women and girls for good." In addition to elevating the public conversation, Twitter has also partnered with health authorities and nonprofit organizations in various markets to expand its #ThereIsHelp notification service. When people search terms associated with gender-based violence on Twitter, they will receive a notification with contact information for local hotlines and other resources to encourage them to reach out for help. Since the initial rollout at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Twitter has expanded the prompts to reach 24 markets spanning countries such as India, Australia, Mexico, Thailand, the UK, the US, and more. The cases of violence against women have increased this year. According to the United Nations Population Fund, for every three months the Covid-19 lockdown continues, an additional 15 million women are expected to be directly affected by violence. --IANS gb/na

Twitter launches emojis to raise awareness about women's rights

<ul class="summary-list"><li>UN Women has called for an investigation into reports of violence against Israeli women on October 7.</li><li>Allegations of rape and gender-based violence have emerged in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks.</li></ul>UN Women has called for a "rigorous investigation" into reports of gender-based <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-declares-state-of-war-hamas-launches-massive-surprise-attack-2023-10">violence by Hamas against Israeli women on October 7</a>.Reports of rape and sexual assault surfaced quickly in the immediate aftermath of the Hamas massacre. In the weeks since, many more horrific incidents have surfaced through the <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/police-start-building-oct-7-rape-cases-focusing-on-footage-and-testimonies/">testimony of survivors and witnesses</a> and from the <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/10/israel-womens-groups-warn-of-failure-to-keep-evidence-of-sexual-violence-in-hamas-attacks">footage of body cameras</a> worn by Hamas. Israeli civilians were <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hamas-victims-uncover-signs-torture-and-abuse-says-israeli-forensics-2023-10">tortured, raped, and abused by Hamas fighters</a>, according to evidence gathered by forensic teams. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hamas-victims-uncover-signs-torture-and-abuse-says-israeli-forensics-2023-10">Rabbi Israel Weiss, a former army chief rabbi,</a> echoed testimonies of the bodies showing signs of sexual abuse.An investigation by The Washington Post into the use of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/11/25/israel-hamas-rape-sexual-violence/">rape as a weapon of war </a>on October 7 said one woman, her identity concealed in a video statement to Israeli police, said she witnessed a gang rape at the Nova rave near Re'im, as she pretended to be dead.Her account describes an Hamas militant violently raping a woman and then passing her to a comrade who executed her with a shot to the head."He didn't pick up his pants. He shot her while inside her," the witness said, per The Washington Post.The head of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women also spoke on the conflict at UN headquarters this week.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/speech/2023/11/speech-now-more-than-ever-we-must-seek-peace">UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous told delegates</a> that "women and girls are paying the highest price of conflicts," in a Security Council meeting on "The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question."She said that an estimated 67% of the people killed in Gaza since October 7 are women and children. 67% of the more than 14,000 killed would equal more than 9000 slain women and children."That is two mothers killed every hour and seven women every two hours. We mourn them all," she said.Bahous said she was alarmed by reports of gender-based violence, saying: "Every act of violence against women and girls, including sexual violence, is unequivocally condemned, and must be fully investigated with the utmost priority."She told the Council that UN Women had met with and heard from Israeli women about their work to document gender-based atrocities and called for peace and a commitment to both Israeli and Palestinian women.

UN calls for investigation into reports that Israeli women were raped by Hamas fighters on October 7

<ul class="summary-list"><li>On Friday, the German coalition government agreed to a new rule that companies with more than three board members must ensure one of those members is a woman.</li><li>The rule also states companies in which the German government has a stake will require 30% of its board to be female.</li><li>The rule reverses a voluntary system established in 2015 that some said failed to achieve <keyword id="6372584" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="gender-equality">gender equality</keyword>.</li><li>Franziska Giffey, <keyword id="87" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Germany">Germany</keyword>'s federal minister for women called the move "historic."</li></ul>Germany's government is rolling out a new standard that will require companies listed on the stock market to have a certain number of women on their boards. Companies with three board members must have one of them be a woman. And companies in which the federal government has a stake will require 30% of executive boards to be female. The rule was agreed upon on Friday by <keyword id="76" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Angela-Merkel">Angela Merkel</keyword>'s Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats. It's similar to a system the country established in 2015 that called on companies to voluntarily increase boardroom diversity. But progressives argued, that because the system was voluntary it failed to achieve gender equality. This new mandatory quota will boost diversity in Germany's corporate sector, and might even encourage lawmakers in other countries to follow suit. A number of countries have similar quotas, including France, Norway, Israel, Austria, India, and Italy. Research from management consulting company <a href="https://www.egonzehnder.com/global-board-diversity-tracker/tracker-highlights">EgonZehnder</a> found that countries with quotas were more likely to have significant boardroom diversity than countries without quotas. Researchers at <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/delivering-through-diversity#" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">McKinsey &amp; Co</a>. found that companies with more gender and ethnic diversity among top executives were up to 33% more likely to see above average profits.Women make up about 13% of the management boards of the 30 largest German companies listed on the Dax index, per a September survey by the independent nonprofit AllBright foundation that was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/nov/22/germany-agrees-historic-mandatory-boardroom-quota-for-women">reported on</a> in the Guardian. That's compared to 28.6% in the US, 24.5% in the UK and 22.2% in France, the study showed. In a <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/germany-to-enforce-historic-compulsory-boardroom-quota-for-women/ar-BB1bhzW0">statement</a>, Franziska Giffey, Germany's federal minister for women, said: "This one breakthrough is historic. We are putting an end to women-free boardrooms in large companies. We are setting an example for a sustainable, modern society."

Germany moves to close the gender gap by requiring companies to put women on executive boards

<ul><li>IT giants — Tech Mahindra and Wipro — are the only Indian companies after Dr. Reddy Laboratories to make it to in the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index (GEI). </li><li>The GEI index is based on five parameters — female leadership and talent pipeline, equal pay and gender pay parity, inclusive culture, sexual harassment policies, and a pro-women brand. </li><li>This includes parental leaves, lactation rooms at the workplace and education programmes dedicated to women. </li><li>According to the <keyword id="69007" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="World-Economic-Forum">World Economic Forum</keyword> Gender Gap Report, it will take 257 years to eliminate the prevailing gap on women participation in the workforce, globally.</li></ul>Homegrown IT giants — Tech Mahindra and Wipro — are the only Indian companies after Dr. Reddy Laboratories to make to the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index (GEI). The pharma multinational retained its spot for three consecutive years. The GEI index is based on five parameters — female leadership and talent pipeline, equal pay and gender pay parity, inclusive culture, sexual harassment policies, and creating a pro-women brand. The report tracked companies based on their market cap and efforts to support and implement gender equality via policy development, representation, and transparency. Tech Mahindra and Wipro made their debut for the first time this year. “At Tech Mahindra, we value individual differences and focus on providing equal opportunities to all our associates. For us, diversity of every kind is a priority, whether it is diversity of nationality, age, gender, thoughts, or abilities, and our constant endeavour is to build a workplace that is ‘intentionally’ diverse,” said Harshvendra Soin, chief people officer at Tech Mahindra. The companies are also ranked based on parental leaves, lactation rooms at the workplace and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education programmes which are dedicated to women. “We celebrate and learn from diverse ideas, backgrounds, perspectives and experiences. The essence of co-creating and being guided by our values, defines inclusion and diversity at Wipro,” said Abidali Z. Neemuchwala, CEO and MD of Wipro. The report also highlights that the companies that have women in the boardroom and as CEOs also have more women at the senior management level. “Female-led organizations also had more women in the top 10% of compensation than male-led firms, and more women in revenue-producing roles,” the report said. India has a long way to go before they attain gender parity. According to the <a href="https://www.weforum.org/reports/gender-gap-2020-report-100-years-pay-equality">World Economic Forum Gender Gap Report</a>, it will take 257 years to eliminate the prevailing gender gap in the workforce, globally. India ranks 112th in the Global Gender Gap Index in 2020. In fact, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) says that women around the globe work for a combined 12.5 billion hours for free. The Bloomberg report includes over 6,000 companies across 84 countries. Of this, the 325 companies featured in the index have a market capitalization of $12 trillion. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/iits-and-nits-will-now-be-ranked-on-how-many-women-they-educate-and-employ/articleshow/73296855.cms">IITs and NITs will now be ranked on how many women they educate and employ</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/foreign-policy/news/uns-list-of-top-10-countries-with-gender-equality-is-empty/articleshow/72123061.cms">Which country can achieve gender equality by 2030 ? The answer is none, UN laments</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/top-jobs-for-women-in-india-as-employability-rises-9-in-2-years/articleshow/72487187.cms">The number of employable Indian women has sharply risen in the last two years⁠— and it is nearly at par with men</a>

Tech Mahindra, Wipro and Dr Reddy’s Labs — only 3 Indian companies made it to Bloomberg Gender Equality Index

<ul><li><keyword id="8058818" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Unstereotype-Alliance">Unstereotype Alliance</keyword>'s India National Chapter Founding Members include Hindustan Unilever Limited , Diageo, WPP, Publicis Groupe, Havas Group, Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI), The Advertising Club and Samhita Social Ventures.</li><li>This new coalition of partners, championed by Hindustan Unilever will focus on broadening the representation of women and men in non-traditional roles in media and advertising. </li></ul>Today, the <keyword id="11017647" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="unstereotype">Unstereotype</keyword> Alliance launches the India national chapter with a coalition formed to tackle <keyword id="11017648" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="harmful-stereotypes">harmful stereotypes</keyword> advertising with support from EU funded WeEmpowerAsia Programme. The Alliance will center its work in India on broadening the representation of women and girls in non-traditional roles in advertising with a focus on women returning to the workforce.. Convened by UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, the Unstereotype Alliance is a thought and action platform that seeks to eradicate harmful stereotypes from advertising and media. India is the ninth national chapter to launch worldwide, and the second in Asia. The Unstereotype Alliance’s India National Chapter Founding Members include: Hindustan Unilever (Champion), Diageo, WPP, Publicis Groupe, Havas Group, Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI), The Advertising Club and Samhita Social Ventures. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women, commented: The launch of the India national chapter is a significant milestone for the Unstereotype Alliance. It shows that the India advertising and media industry is coming together in all its strength and diversity to tackle the harmful stereotypes that hinder progress towards gender equality. This is critical to addressing the drivers of inequality such as violence against women and girls, intergenerational poverty and the lack of women in leadership and decision-making roles. We hope that you will join us in making unstereotyped advertising and content the norm rather than the exception. Stereotypes in advertising perpetuate negative social norms and hinder progress of gender equality. Harmful social norms contribute to increased acceptance of gender-based violence, lack of economic decision-making for women and constricted opportunities in the job market. The chapter has defined strategic priorities to address gender stereotypes with a focus on harmful patriarchal traditions and norms to broaden the representation of empowered and autonomous women in private and public life, including in business leadership; and to ensure progressive representation in media and advertising. Unstereotype Alliance research into gender equality attitudes shows that there is a clear role not only to remove stereotypes in advertising and media, but to challenge widely-held beliefs and norms in society. Data from the Gender Equality Attitudes study, conducted across 10 countries including India, shows that whilst many Indians recognize the importance of women’s rights, outdated beliefs persist. Specifically: <ul><li>87% believe that it is essential for society to treat women as equal to men, yet</li><li>39% believe that there are acceptable circumstances for someone to hit their spouse or partner </li><li>39% believe that a woman should not earn more than her husband </li><li>49% believe that for the same job, men should be paid more than women </li><li>75% believe that when a mother works for pay, the children suffer </li></ul>Susan Ferguson, Country Representative, UN Women India: "UN Women India is excited to launch the India chapter of the Unstereotype Alliance. I am confident with the support of such committed partners, we will generate a positive and enduring impact in the advertising and media industry and contribute to shaping a gender-equal world." Priya Nair, Executive Director,-Beauty &amp; Personal Care, Hindustan Unilever: "Across the globe, consumers are increasingly expecting brands to take a stand on the issues they care most about – gender stereotype has been one such issue. At HUL, we are committed to driving gender equity, including stepping up of brand programmes, advocacy to challenge the status quo and #unstereotyping advertising. With one billion people using our products every day and even more seeing our advertising, we know we have the power to make a real difference. Various organisations need to come together to bring about this systematic change and set new standards of empowerment and equality. As a founding member of the Unstereotype Alliance, we look forward to supporting UN Women, to drive social change, encourage action, and put an end to gender stereotypes and discrimination” CVL Srinivas, Country Head, WPP, India: WPP is delighted to be a founding member of the Unstereotype Alliance – India Chapter. We look forward to working with the Alliance to bring about positive change to the issue of Gender Equality through the creative use of our skills and the passion of our people in this area.” Deepika Warrier, CMO, Diageo India: “Diageo India is proud to be associated with The Unstereotype Alliance – India Chapter, which will work to accelerate progressive gender portrayal in advertising. Together, we will lead the creation of a framework that encourages increasingly progressive codes with themes ranging from empowerment to celebrating the power and imperfections of womanhood to challenging stereotypes to ultimately moving beyond gender codes. We hope our efforts would contribute to empowering women regardless of their race, class, age, ability, religion, sexuality, language, education etc.” Anupriya Acharya, CEO, Publicis Groupe South Asia: “Publicis Groupe through Viva la difference is a company that celebrates talent, inclusivity and diversity. Our core values and people-first culture synergise seamlessly with the Unstereotype Alliance’s larger mission and objectives and we are pleased to be a part of its India Chapter. Publicis Groupe India looks forward to collaborating with other future-facing companies in building narratives that are progressive, purposeful, gender-equal, human and authentic.” Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas Group India: “We are delighted to be coming on board at a crucial time as a member of the UN Women Unstereotype Alliance as they begin their chapter in India. At Havas Group, we are clear on driving gender diversity and want to bring about a cultural transformation and mindset shift that will encourage many more women leaders in the group. Our alliance with UN Women Unstereotype Alliance will surely help us in this journey.” Manish Kapoor, Secretary General, Advertising Standard Council of India: "Positive gender portrayals and depictions in advertising are high on ASCI’s agenda, and we aim to shape this narrative in the coming months through different initiatives. Partnering with the Unstereotype alliance is an important step in this journey. Working together helps synchronise voices of different stakeholders and we are very pleased to be a part of the alliance.” Sudhesh Kapoor, Secretary General, AAAI: “We are sure that this Alliance will go a long way in taking down some popularly held myths about genders which are consciously or sub-consciously propagated by popular media and advertising.” Namrata Tata, The Advertising Club: "While many organizations are taking initiatives to drive gender diversity &amp; equality, collaboration at an industry level is needed to see the needle movement. As an integral part of the advertising industry ,The Advertising Club believes in driving real change when it comes to the portrayal of gender norms. We are delighted to join The Unstereotype alliance convened by UN women , which aims at removing negative gender stereotypes in Advertising and Media" Priya Naik, Founder and CEO, Samhita Social Ventures: "Companies, media and content companies, advertisers, and creative agencies have a social and ethical responsibility to break gender stereotype, as well as the capability to do so on a large scale. I am proud to be a part of the Unstereotype Alliance movement to dismantle traditional gender roles and their related conventions."

UN Women launches Unstereotype Alliance's India Chapter to eradicate harmful gender stereotypes from advertising and media

<ul><li>The partnership is aimed at supporting research on <keyword id="1775718" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="gender-representation">gender representation</keyword> in advertisements in India based on evidence and real-time validation.</li><li>The research will ascertain the level of <keyword id="2252563" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="gender-stereotyping">gender stereotyping</keyword> found in Indian advertisements and will create a baseline to measure change as well as initiate dialogue with advertising professionals and content creators.</li></ul><keyword id="56000" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="UNICEF">UNICEF</keyword> and India Chapter of International Advertising Association (IAA) have entered into a partnership to support research on gender representation in advertisements in India based on evidence and real-time validation. This is based on the understanding that marketing plays a powerful role in shaping gender roles and perceptions and advertising is an important tool that can influence women and girls’ empowerment. The changing and evolving landscape of advertisements has a huge potential to promote gender equitable practices especially among young people. The partnership with IAA will bring extensive technical expertise and leadership in the area of marketing advertising and media to the on-going research on gender representation and stereotypes in TV and digital advertisements in India, specifically those targeted towards children, adolescents and caregivers. The research will ascertain the level of gender stereotyping found in Indian advertisements and will create a baseline to measure change as well as initiate dialogue with advertising professionals and content creators. UNICEF supports women’s human rights and their empowerment, to create an environment in which gender-equal results can best be achieved for children. IAA will identify the most viewed 1000 TV and Digital advertisements in India in the year 2019, provide technical insights and recommendations to the study, and help disseminate the findings to the advertising industry to advocate for more responsible and gender empowering advertising policies and practices. Dr <keyword id="6262621" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="yasmin-ali-haque">Yasmin Ali Haque</keyword>, Representative, UNICEF India said, “Advertising has a massive impact on children. Building evidence and using it to advocate for re-thinking policies and practices is an important element of responsible advertising. We look forward to working with IAA to create an environment where the advertisement industry is truly a partner in empowering girls and women. We are also delighted to be collaborating with UN Women, <keyword id="10091631" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-sarojini-naidu-centre">The Sarojini Naidu Centre</keyword> for Women's Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia and Population first for this initiative.” <keyword id="4722871" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="megha-tata">Megha Tata</keyword>, President <keyword id="3613618" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="iaa-india-chapter">IAA India Chapter</keyword> said, "What an appropriate announcement to be making on the occasion of the International Day of the Girl Child which was yesterday. The India Chapter of the IAA has always taken the lead in matters concerning gender sensitization. I am glad we are joining hands with UNICEF to support the efforts on empowering girls and women. Ultimately a society and an industry that celebrates and genuinely practices gender parity across the board, is something we should all work towards. I also want to thank Clutter Cutters, BARC and TAM to have supported us in this meaningful initiative."

IAA India and UNICEF come together to promote equal gender representation in advertising

<ul><li>The ministry of science and technology will now rank institutions — offering STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) education — on <keyword id="6372584" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="gender-equality">gender equality</keyword>, according to the Times of India report. </li><li> As many as 20 Indian institutions — including the premier Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and National Institutes of Science (NITs) — have joined hands to facilitate it. </li><li>The ministry will rate the institutions as gold, silver and bronze based on the number of women scientists, faculty and research fellows. </li><li>The move is aimed to ‘recruit, retain and promote’ women in the STEM education sector. </li></ul>Indian universities should strive to achieve something that has been taking for granted for long - gender equality. To ensure that they do, the ministry of science and technology will now rank institutions — on gender equality, <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/top-institutes-will-now-be-graded-on-gender-equality/articleshow/73283922.cms">according to </a>the Times of India report. These ranks however will be for those offering STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) courses. As many as 20 Indian institutions — including Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and National Institutes of Science (NITs) — have joined hands to facilitate it. The government aims to rope in over 90 institutions as a part of the new grading system. “Our policy will initially include 20 institutes which will adopt a self-assessment process to develop an accreditation model to help identify gender gaps and barriers to progression faced by women in science based on interviews with them,” Sanjay-Mishra, head of KIRAN division at the department of science and technology (DST)<a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/top-institutes-will-now-be-graded-on-gender-equality/articleshow/73283922.cms"> told </a>TOI. DST, along with British Council, will give ratings to institutions. The ministry will rate the institutions as gold, silver and bronze based on the number of women across verticals — including science faculty, research fellows and scientists and those sent for PhD programmes. Gold accreditation will recognise institutions that have attained gender equality in its educational programmes — and act as role models to those promoting women participation. Sliver, on the other hand will recognise those institutions that are implementing practices to overcome challenges in gender neutral approach and bronze will list those institutions that are working to promote equality. What accelerated the development? India slipped four spots to 112th in the <a href="https://www.livemint.com/news/india/india-slips-four-ranks-on-world-economic-forum-s-global-gender-gap-index-2020-11576574974188.html">Global Gender Gap Index 2020</a>, according to the <keyword id="69007" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="World-Economic-Forum">World Economic Forum</keyword> — which said that it will take nearly 100 years to attain gender parity across education, healthcare, politics and economy. The move is aimed to ‘recruit, retain and promote’ <keyword id="4244406" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="women-in-stem">women in STEM</keyword> areas. As per the report, women constitute merely 15% of faculty positions in science. In the research programmes, women account for a third of the PhD awardees. “This will definitely give a much needed thrust to the inclusion of women in academia. However a key challenge will be to define the terms of how institutions will effectively measure gender equality. They should not merely execute gender equality on paper, rather it should ensure inclusion in education and employment,” Neeti Sharma, VP, TeamLease Services told Business Insider. In fact, women constitute only 5% of the total research fellows at the <keyword id="81569" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-National-Science-Academy">Indian National Science Academy</keyword> (INSA). The total budget of the project is ₹8 crore. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/news/education-budget-2020-the-rise-in-budget-allocation-for-education-is-just-not-enough/articleshow/73182288.cms">The rise in budget allocation for education is just not enough</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/education/news/on-national-education-day-heres-a-look-at-the-recent-reforms-in-india/articleshow/72001598.cms">On National Education Day, here’s a look at the recent reforms in India</a>

IITs and NITs will now be ranked on how many women they educate and employ

<ul><li>While the ad industry has a lot of womentoday, many drop out by the time they reach mid-management levels, primarily due to the lack of flexible hours, or the flexibility to work from home.</li><li>The women leaders we spoke to believe organizations need to prioritize training more women, to prepare them for leadership roles, and this should be a part of the company’s culture.</li><li>There is also a need to relook at the way employee’s performances are evaluated, coming up with newer ways of assessing talent in a time where the way of doing business has seen a complete overhaul.</li></ul> In late 2019, a report by Credit Suisse stated that women’s representation in boardrooms in India increased only by 4.3% between 2014 and 2019. The report further stated that the current female representation on boards is only 15.2% which invariably led to dialogues around the conspicuous lack of women leaders in the upper rungs of the corporate world. Having said that, the world of advertising, marketing and media is one industry that has seen a lot of women in roles of leadership. While we are still far from an equal man-woman ratio in the industry, it is heartening to see more and more women take the top spots. Conversations with most women leaders from the industry led us to believe that this is an industry that welcomes women to be a part of the workforce. However, it is during their mid-career levels that a lot of women drop out of the workforce, leading to a dip in women who take up higher positions. We reached out to some of the most influential women in the industry currently, to gauge what are the reasons for these drop-outs, and what needs to be done, as an industry as well at individual organizational levels, to ensure that women are retained, and even if they drop-out, are encouraged to rejoin the workforce. We received an overwhelming response to our queries from across the sector from women who made some really compelling points. These women who feel passionately about the subject laid their hearts bare, telling us ways they think the industry can evolve, to become more inclusive. Here are some of the most prominent voices. Building a culture of inclusivity It is often noticed that while a lot of women are joining the workforce, many of them take the decision of quitting once they decide to get married or decide to have children. Many find it difficult to come back, due to the lack of flexible working hours at their workplaces, or even due to a certain amount of judgment where people look at them a little differently after they come back from a long break. Most of the women leaders we spoke to believe that the work culture needs to evolve a little, to make way for such women, giving them the flexibility that many of them need, once they start a family. <keyword id="4356726" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="srija-chatterjee">Srija Chatterjee</keyword>, Managing Director, Publicis Worldwide, India shared that while a few corporates have started giving some assistance to women, the ad industry hasn’t yet started doing that actively. “As an industry, we have woken up to women leaders and we are trying to make things happen for women, to make sure that they don't jump off from the workforce. However, there's still a long way to go. The biggest reason women stop working is when they get into that life stage of having children. A lot of corporates are today providing strong support, through office crèches or flexi-timing options. That has not yet happened in our industry. From a business perspective, the size of our agencies might not be that big, which makes implementing this a bit of a challenge. But the more and more we get into a group structure, and offices become more centralized, it will enable organizations to look at shared resources to help women pursue their passion. This is something that could be done, but has not been done yet.” A lot of times, there is also a lot of judgement involved when women come back to work after a long break. Delving deeper into the need for a change in attitude, Pallavi Chakravarti, Executive Creative Director, Taproot Dentsu said, “You’ve been out of the scene way too long - you can’t expect the salary that you do after the kind of leave you’ve taken - but won’t your attention be divided now?” These are just some of the things women hear when they are seeking to make their way back into the workforce, post a long gap. Of course, this is not a blanket statement - times are changing, mindsets are changing, as are corporate policies. But if companies truly want to be gender-neutral then statements and questions like the ones I’ve cited above would never be heard again. Additionally, flexible working hours, working from home, working on time-bound projects are all steps that more and more organisations can adopt to ensure equal opportunities. And when I say equal, I mean that these options should be made available to both men and women. Shedding some light on how OLX is working on retaining some of its women, Sapna Arora, Chief Marketing Officer, OLX India said, “Setting the right example of favourable work culture much suited to women, not just in terms of facilities and infrastructure, but also in terms of broadening our thinking within an organization across various levels, is the key to inspire women working population to join the workforce and perform better. OLX, as an organization, is working on taking baby steps in creating empowering workplace for women. A couple of years ago, we at OLX embarked on a journey to evaluate the gender diversity ratio and actively worked to encourage more women in roles such as data scientists, engineers, front line sales and more. This is a conscious choice we have made under our global diversity and inclusion programme which seeks to improve the gender ratio across STEM and leadership roles.” Talking about the need to prioritize diversity in leadership, Emrana Sheikh, Enterprise HR Head for India and South Asia – Johnson &amp; Johnson said, “Today, companies are increasingly equating their C-suite diversity to competitive advantage for their businesses – and rightly so, it leads to robust dialogue, richer decisions and the empathy to design good, and human-centered solutions. For organizations looking for a paradigm shift in their work cultures, C-suite diversity sets an example for the rest of the team. At the basic level, it can be a source of inspiration that resonates down to the front-line staff. This is only possible when diversity in the leadership is prioritized and its long-term implementation is ensured at all levels through intentionality and focused talent management. Internal platforms such as Diversity &amp; Inclusion Council and Employee Resource Groups further drive culture strategies from a variety of lenses, championing inclusivity as a collective goal across levels. An inclusive culture transcends barriers, bias and bureaucracy, and makes the employees truly feel that they belong. All around, women are a critical mass of consumers, influencers, stakeholders and communities. Hence, reflection of the same in organizations is a business imperative.” Sharing a similar sentiment, Neena Dasgupta, CEO and Director, Zirca Digital Solutions added, “Organizations need to ensure that women in the workplace are respected and recognized.For women to thrive in the workplace, organizations need to ensure an environment that is rooted in equal opportunity and a culture that is geared to assist women achieve their goals.” Sharing some tips on a few things that can be done at the organization level to help women continue to be a part of an organization, Ayesha Ghosh, General Manager, Taproot Dentsu added, “Younger women need to see older women in positions of influence. Flexible working hours and working from home might be a challenge in an industry that’s made a virtue of unreasonable working hours but we ought to be non-negotiable about starting early, cutting idle chatter, short lunch breaks and everything else that helps finish work early so that parents (and everyone else, really!) get to spend some time with their families. Ingraining fundamental values will go a much longer way than making token gestures. Enforcing paternity leave, for instance, so that the onus of child-rearing is not on the mother alone. When a parent, regardless of gender is expected to manage time such that they are responsible for their work as well as for their families, everyone will automatically spend less time on idle chatter and work a lot more efficiently.” An organization's culture also needs to have empathy at its foundation, shared Oindrila Roy, Head of Strategy, India, Essence, to make a difference. "As with any type of workforce integration, empathy should be the edifice on which workplaces are designed to integrate and retain both women and men more seamlessly. For women, it starts with stepping into her shoes, evaluating challenges from her point of view and arriving at solutions which are conducive. For example, an online survey conducted by JobsForHer found that 38% of women do not return to the workforce after giving birth, due to the lack of good day care for children. If that is the challenge, companies need to think of solving this problem innovatively - can the organisation collaborate with a nanny service provider to avail reliable childcare options to its employees? Reassured and empowered parents are likely to stay in the workforce longer." Modifying existing performance benchmarks Rubeena Singh, CEO, iProspect India believes that there is a need to relook at the performance benchmarks on which employees are evaluated. “In the middle years, I often see that we are trying to evaluate people on certain benchmarks. The criteria for these performance indicators have been put in place years ago when it was a largely male-dominated workforce. Things like 8 hours of work, or work in office, or if you want a senior position, you should have worked in different geographies etc. But sometimes, for women, it becomes very difficult to be mobile and move to different parts of the country, especially once they get married. As an industry, we really need to re-evaluate the criteria. We should look for quality now, if people are curious, if they are team-players, how innovative and out-of-the-box can they think. If these changes are brought about, a lot of women will find it easier to catch up from where they left, even if they are coming back after a long break.” Treating both men and women as equals at the workplace A lot of women leaders feel that there is an immediate need to start looking at both men and women as equals in the workspace and not differentiate on the basis of gender. Lara Balsara Wajifdar, Executive Director at Madison World said, “We need to look at women leaders as leaders first and not as women leaders. Don’t differentiate us on the basis of our gender, but differentiate us on the basis of our work! Our industry is always hungry for good talent and if the talent is good, the agency will always accommodate personal requests as long as the work is not affected.” Many also feel the starting point is to start a conversation, where both the genders are treated as equal participants. “<keyword id="6372584" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="gender-equality">Gender equality</keyword> is not just a women’s issue, it’s a human rights issue – that extends to all realms, including the workplace. To encourage equality across all lines of command in the workplace and have more women leaders, we need more men to be equal participants in the conversation around gender equality. Having the male workforce as partners can bring empowerment and equal respect among all genders. Global change-making initiatives like the UN’s ‘He for She’ Movement, of which I am a strong advocate, have been setting strong examples for people of all genders to take bold steps in solidarity and are working towards a gender-equal world,” said <keyword id="235731" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nadia-Chauhan">Nadia Chauhan</keyword>, JMD &amp; CMO, Parle Agro. Pointing out to some things that need to be done at an organizational level, Rishika Lulla Singh, CEO Eros Digital at Eros International said, “There needs to be a cultural shift and change at workplaces to eradicate gender inequality and retain women employees. It is about time that companies consider deserving women for higher level positions and evaluate their performance sans bias. If there are more women leaders out there at the top positions, it gives a sense of confidence to the global sisterhood with strong role models. It is essential that companies organize mentorship programs to break the stereotype of what a man and a woman can or should do. There are several ways to retain a woman employee at work, but we also need to encourage more women to join the workforce. Equal pay, ensuring all voices are heard and feeling valued, creating safe work environment, etc. are all the least we can do.” Pooja Jauhari, CEO, The Glitch put it rather succinctly in her three-point recommendation on how to retain women. She said, “Firstly, treat your entire talent base with gender blindness. Best person for the job. Without over-thinking their family, marital, ‘emotional’ status. Just get the right person for the job. Secondly, allow your talent to align personal and professional goals and build a support system for them to come back to the same position at work after a break (marriage| child birth) and lastly, stop saying a certain gender matters more, prove by example by showing gender balance across functions.” Training young employees to think of themselves as leaders There is also a need for seniors to build an environment of motivating young women while also making them aware of their potential as future managers, shared Sujata Dwibedy, Group Trading Director, Ampilifi India. She said, “This question is asked to mostly senior women but ideally, both senior men, women and the entire team should be equally responsible to motivate the young, efficient women. The entire organisation gains if they can train and then retain competent women leading up to a management role. It is critical to show them advancement opportunities and their growth path. Policies might have to be tweaked but if it benefits all, it should not matter. Building an inclusive workplace, an organisational environment that values diversity not just for the sake of appearances but for the competitive edge that comes with access to multiple perspectives would make a difference.” There are a lot of internal barriers that women have to cross and training them to believe in themselves could help in ensuring they make it to the top. <keyword id="346168" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lulu-Raghavan">Lulu Raghavan</keyword>, Managing Director, Landor Associates said, “Even before thinking of getting more women leaders, we have to think of how we can create a better working place holistically. Secondly, you have to ensure that women at the top, doing good work get the visibility. It starts with the leadership, company philosophy and culture. You’ve got to find them and put them on the top because deserving women do exist. You can’t give us an excuse that there aren’t any women relevant for the top positions. A lot of training has to be done with women themselves; there are a few external barriers such as company policies, work environment, how other people behave towards you, and there are internal factors, which we women have set up through the years. It is the lack of self-confidence, self-doubt and imposter syndrome. We women have to be trained to be leaders. It should be different from the overall management chain because it is decades of social conditioning that companies have to break when women join them. “ Anita Kotwani, Senior Vice President, New Business, Mindshare added, “The industry needs to first acknowledge that Woman leaders can deliver as well as their male counterparts for senior-level roles. The grooming required should be done for the role and not the gender. If that happens you will see the necessary shift with more woman leaders leading the mantle.” Sharing her optimism about the future where she envisions more and more women to be on the top, Kranti Gada, COO Shemaroo Entertainment said, “A few years ago, I participated in a program called ‘Tanmatra’ organized by IIM Bangalore, to help develop and groom fellow women counterparts for about 9 months and the stories I heard about the differences in opportunities shocked me a little. I was happy to be at Shemaroo, where we have seen women in key roles leading from the front and managing the core business with ease and expertise. While the ratio of women is a little skewed in the industry, the gender gap is narrowing, and we will see more women taking charge in future in every field.”

Making the industry more gender-inclusive: Women leaders show us the way

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The World Economic Forum has just released their <a href="http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GGGR_2020.pdf">Global Gender Gap Report 2020</a>, which looks at 153 countries and their progress made towards gender parity.</li><li>This year's report rated Iceland as the country that has made the most progress towards gender equality, followed Norway, Finland, and Sweden.</li><li>Other Western countries regressed in their rankings, including Australia, the UK, and the US. </li><li>According to the report, <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/gender-gap-to-take-257-years-close-world-economic-forum-2019-12-1028770425">it will take 257 years</a> for women to have the same economic opportunities as men, though many countries have made strides in providing opportunities for women in other areas, like politics and education.</li></ul>The World Economic Forum released their <a href="http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GGGR_2020.pdf">Global Gender Gap Report 2020</a>, and it's not good news for Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom - all three have slipped in their rankings since 2018.The report looks at 153 countries and their progress made towards gender parity, looking at four key areas including economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment. The report <a href="https://www.weforum.org/reports/gender-gap-2020-report-100-years-pay-equality">added</a> that complete gender parity across the world is still about 100 years away."Gender parity has a fundamental bearing on whether or not economies and societies thrive," the index said.According to the report, here are the top 10 countries closing the gender gap as we enter into the new decade: <ol><li>Iceland </li><li>Norway </li><li>Finland </li><li>Sweden </li><li>Nicaragua </li><li>New Zealand </li><li>Ireland </li><li>Spain </li><li>Rwanda </li><li>Germany </li></ol>Iceland claimed the top spot for the eleventh year in a row for the impressive number of women in politics, as well as for providing top educational and employment opportunities for women.Notably, Spain made huge strides towards gender equality since the last index in 2018, jumping 21 spots to sit within the top 10.Spain, Latvia, and Thailand, substantially increased the number of women in their parliaments, accelerating their scores. In 2018, Spain nominated the "<a href="https://time.com/5304320/spain-new-government-majority-women/">world's most female-centric government,</a>" and gave a majority of its ministerial positions to women.Additionally, Spain was among the most improved countries on the list, closing their gender gap by 3.4 percent or more. Other Western countries regressed in their ranks.The US fell two spots from 2018 and was placed in 53rd place globally. Australia, which in April was named the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/safest-countries-in-the-world-for-women-2019-4">safest country in the world for women</a>, fell five spots to number 44 globally. The UK came in spot 21, falling six places since the last index. Canada was placed in spot 19, falling three ranks since 2018. The report said that gender parity has improved overall in the 108 years since the ranking system first started, but it indicated areas of improvement. In the global political arena, only 25% of parliamentary positions and 21% of ministerial positions are held by women. Over the last 50 years, only 85 countries have had no female head of state. Including women in politics has been shown to increase the "role model effect," according to the report, which increases the number of women in senior roles within the workforce."Improving political empowerment for women has, as a general rule, corresponded with increased numbers of women in senior roles in the labour market," the index said.According to the report, <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/gender-gap-to-take-257-years-close-world-economic-forum-2019-12-1028770425">it will take 257 years</a> for women to have the same economic opportunities as men. But several countries earned praise for the number of women in executive roles. In France, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Italy, women make up over one-third of a companies' board of directors. In 72 countries, women are prevented from opening up a bank account or owning a credit card. "At the federal level, greater political representation - and in some nations, any representation at all - for women is a pressing need," the report said. "Looking ahead, policy-makers need to take action to better equip younger generations - particularly in developing nations - with the skills to succeed in the world of future jobs," it added.

Here are the top 10 countries in the world for gender equality

<ul><li>There’s no doubt that in 2022 and beyond, companies and advertising agencies will dedicate more attention and resources to improving <keyword id="61889" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="diversity" source="Orion">Diversity</keyword>, <keyword id="12546708" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="equity-and-inclusion" source="Orion">Equity and Inclusion</keyword> (DEI).</li><li>While the ad industry has a lot of women today, many drop out by the time they reach mid-management levels, primarily due to the lack of flexible hours, or the flexibility to work from home.</li><li>Advertising agencies, therefore, have been working towards training more women, to prepare them for leadership roles. They are also launching special programs to encourage queer people to join advertising agencies.</li><li>We speak to a few Creative Agencies that appear to be making strides in improving DEI to find out what’s their current <keyword id="1014511" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gender-ratio" source="Orion">gender ratio</keyword> and got them to share a few ways in which they think the industry can evolve to become more inclusive.</li></ul>The advertising industry is known to lead to change and advertising agencies have the power to shape how people see themselves through their creative campaigns. They have the power to make a positive impact on society. The industry can use its influential power in mending belief systems and nudging people to question their regressive thoughts. From challenging stereotypes to pushing people to embrace the entire gender spectrum, advertising campaigns can work wonders in bringing about acceptance. Apart from using their advertising and marketing tools tactfully, ad agencies can work towards improving gender representation inside their organisations at a structural level. However, at the creative stage, too many perspectives have been excluded over the years. Many organisations hire one queer person and make them the face of diversity. Last year, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/advertising/ad-agencies/article/cannes-lions-to-onboard-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-specialist-consultancy-after-former-dean-abraham-abbi-asefaw-called-out-the-organisation-for-lack-of-representation/articleshow/83030888.cms">Cannes Lions was </a>called out for hiring one person of colour at Roger Hatchuel Academy and making them the face of diversity. After drawing flak, the academy and Cannes Lions onboarded a specialised Diversity, Inclusivity and Equity agency to correct its course. In the last few years, advertising agencies in India have taken baby steps towards improving Diversity, Inclusivity and Equity inside their organisations as well. They are trying to build an inclusive culture that transcends barriers, biases and bureaucracy, and makes employees truly feel like they belong. With equal representation of different voices on the inside, historically underrepresented demographic groups are authentically and positively represented in the campaigns too. This leads to robust dialogue, richer decisions, it helps build empathy within the organization to design good, and human-centered solutions. Advertising and Media Insider gathered insights from industry leaders and agencies who appear to be making strides towards DEI about how employers can boost diversity and inclusion in their organisations. A look at the current gender ratio MullenLowe Lintas Group’s gender ratio stands at 35% and the agency network has a similar ratio even at the leadership level. Garima Pant, Group HR Director, MullenLowe Lintas Group told us about their hiring process. She said, “For us, DEI goes beyond Gender. This year with our Apex Council, we plan to steer initiatives and changes aimed towards shaping and embedding DEI in the DNA of the organization. Our commitment to hire more diverse voices has already been put in action; we are signatories on the UN Women Empowerment Principles, we introduced our Referral program with 2X referral bonus aimed at hiring women, PWD’s and LGBTQ+ team members and are also systemically looking at embedding DEI in our processes to ensure accountability while we lead with intent. For advertising, more than most other industries, DEI is not just a humanistic issue, it is a business case. At the heart of diversity and inclusion is getting diverse thinking, diverse perspectives, thereby inspiring imagination and impacting societal change.” DDB Mudra Group, which was one of the first agencies in India to update its insurance policy to include same-sex couples and live-in partners, ended 2021 with a gender ratio of women-to-men at 40:60. Rita Verma, EVP &amp; Head - HR, DDB Mudra Group told us all about the agency’s roadmap for 2022. She said, “DEI has been a key priority for us in the last few years, and our plans for the coming year are built off the work that we have done in the last three years. The Phyllis Project is a DDB global initiative that kicked off in 2018 to help women leaders stay the course and rise more effortlessly through the ranks. In 2020, in the middle of the challenges of the pandemic, we managed to launch the India leg of the program, which is a more intense, consistent and personalised program for our top 25 women talent. We will proudly be graduating the first batch of the Phyllis India project in March of this year, and kick-starting a 2022 batch. Through the last two years, with a mix of mentoring engagements with the best in the business within and outside DDB, training and skill-building interventions and exposure to some of the most inspiring women leaders, we’ve built a set of powerful women leaders. We are proud of the ones who have stayed with us and grown their influence within DDB in India, like Mehak Jaini who heads strategy for us at 22feet Tribal Worldwide, and also the incredible women talent who have gone on to take on bigger challenges in the industry such as Sonal Jhuj at Lego and Shagun Seda at Netflix. Our Open Pride program has seen us consistently engage in conversations with our employees to increase awareness and sensitize them towards the LGBTQIA+ community. We have made a conscious effort to improve our policies, whether it is in the context of insurance for same sex partners, or increased paternity leave, or wellness leaves. This is a result of six monthly reviews to see how we can be more inclusive and sensitive to all employees. We want to lead the thinking in contemporary employee policies and not follow the market, and are constantly seeking inputs from our people to get better at this. Another initiative that we are truly excited about this year, is a series of our Equal Parenting workshops to help our employees become the kind of parents and professionals they want to be and normalise the essential conversation around balancing parenthood and professional success.” At TBWA, 35-40% of their employees are women across client servicing, creative and planning functions. To encourage young women and employees of all genders to speak up their minds, the agency network has been working towards making leaders on the top more accessible to new employees. Namrata Nandan, Executive Director – West, South &amp; New Initiatives, TBWA said, “We have provided a platform to our young promising stars to establish a direct connect with the CEO and present their thoughts on matters pertaining to strategy, operations, organization culture, etc and play a part in the decision-making process. Young millennials and Gen Z are vocal &amp; creative, coupled with a strong need to belong and to be heard. This forum provides a great opportunity for the organization to leverage their creative/out-of-box thinking and at the same time gives them the opportunity to express themselves and participate in decision making.” Ways in which the advertising ecosystem can improve DEI It is important to build a work environment where all employees feel seen, accepted and valued. Rohit Suri, Chief HR Officer, dentsu South Asia said that agencies should ‘foster an Inclusive Culture by cultivating a supportive, welcoming and inclusive workplace where everyone can contribute to their full potential.’ Sharing how the entire advertising ecosystem can elevate DEI across the board, he said, “The advertising industry has a huge responsibility to uphold DEI and ensure stereotypes are removed, create products and service offerings that mitigate bias and it is important for the industry to understand that DEI is all about adapting human behavior, something that requires continuous enhancement of inclusion capabilities and ongoing practice every day. Secondly, along with behaviors organizations must have robust feedback mechanisms and listening systems that reinforce the culture of inclusion and belonging. Third, organisations must invest in training programs and initiatives that invite diverse talent from underrepresented groups to join them to ensure the ideas that come from these diverse teams are better and the clients are better served. Fourth, when DEI is treated as a business imperative it moves beyond the responsibility of one team or a group of people it becomes the responsibility of everyone in the organisation.” Pant broke down her advice into three parts and advised agencies to follow M.A.P. “Measure - What gets measured gets done: The Org Business and Talent dashboard needs to have a diversity and inclusion lens across the employee lifecycle. Awareness - Moving beyond the metrics. Awareness is the greatest agent for change. Policies: Put a stake in the ground. Policies ensure that organizations embrace talent practices that systemically drive Inclusion,” explained Pant. Verma pointed out that ‘with the queer community, the task is slightly different because one does not identify candidates at the outset by their sexual identity.’ What DDB Mudra Group is trying to build is an environment that makes everyone feel safe, nurtured and be given equal opportunity. This happens through consistent awareness building, education, and sensitization workshops and interactions. To bridge this gap, the agency has organised various masterclass sessions for its employees. Adding how the HR industry needs a refreshed approach after the pandemic, she said, “The advertising industry in India is experiencing a lot of change. And it is a great time to re-evaluate the principles on which we want to build our agencies going forward, and therefore the overall ecosystem. Especially in the last couple of years, we have seen unforeseen levels of attrition and burnout owing to the pandemic. What it has taught us is the fact that we need to do better by our people as an industry. Whether it is in terms of providing better work-life balance, supporting and propagating equal parenting, consciously seeking women talent in leadership, rewarding leaders for their role in creating and nurturing diverse and inclusive teams, or partnering clients to better represent women and other faultily represented communities in our work – there is so much we must do as an industry. We believe that product and creativity will be exceptional as an outcome of all these efforts as well. It is an exciting time, and we hope to walk tall in the advertising fraternity by leading from the front on all these issues.”

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