Alem Tedeneke, Media Manager, World Economic Forum; Tel.: +1 646 204 9191, Email: ated@weforum.org
· The World Economic Forum, the Inter-American Development Bank, senior ministers and private sector leaders announce plan to set up a Gender Parity Task Force in Argentina
· Argentina currently ranks 101st out of 144 countries for its economic integration of women, according to the Global Gender Gap Index 2016
· But more women than men now enrol in secondary and tertiary education in Argentina, giving the country a huge opportunity to leverage the skills and talents of women for the benefit of the economy
· This announcement builds on the Task Force established in Chile in 2016 and is the next phase of collaborative action on workplace gender parity in the region
Buenos Aires, Argentina, 6 April 2017 – A new Gender Parity Task Force is being established in Argentina to increase the numbers of women entering and progressing in the labour market and to help change gender stereotypes.
The Task Force will use a model of public-private collaboration developed by the Forum to achieve workplace gender parity. The Forum will work in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and senior Argentinian government and business leaders.
Women in Argentina are still less likely than their male counterparts to enter the labour force, regardless of education levels. Women are also much less likely to be paid the same as their male colleagues for equivalent work or to be promoted to senior management roles. The country currently ranks 101st out of 144 in the Forum’s latest Global Gender Gap Report, with little progress over the past decade.
In recent years, however, Argentina has made improvements when it comes to education, with women outperforming men in secondary and tertiary educational enrolment. This presents the country with a huge opportunity. It is this potential that a Gender Parity Task Force can help maximize, building on the good work, leadership and desire for additional action already present in Argentina.
In order to realize this goal, the Forum and the IDB will pool their respective gender and country expertise to share best practices with committed leaders from business and government, support the introduction of new policies and initiatives, and track the impact of action. The Task Force will identify key economic gender gaps in Argentina, develop public and private sector recommendations for narrowing those gaps, and agree a three year action plan. Central to action will be engaging companies on the strong business case for advancing gender parity in their workforces and encouraging them to commit to action.
“With relatively high rates of female education, Argentina stands to make significant economic gains from integrating more women into the workforce. We look forward to supporting a new Gender Parity Task Force in Argentina, working with the IDB and leaders in the country to accelerate progress on economic gender parity,” said Richard Samans, Member of the Managing Board, World Economic Forum.
Evidence indicates that advances in gender parity bring positive results not only for the private sector, but also for the growth and sustainable development of a country. That is why it is fundamental to the IDB's effort to improve lives through financial and technical support to the countries of the region said Luis Alberto Moreno, President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
Gabriella Michetti, Vice-President, Government of Argentina, said: “Business will profit greatly from gender equality and women’s empowerment. The untapped talent, creativity and innovation of women creates an immense potential that should be harnessed to improve business management.”
Marcos Pena, Chief of Cabinet of Ministers of Argentina, said: “Progress towards gender equality represents a challenge not only for women but for us all. It engages both men and women, the public sector and the private sector, Argentines and every person all over the world.”
More than 1,000 business, government and civil society leaders are taking part in the 12th World Economic Forum on Latin America in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 5 to 7 April 2017. The theme of the meeting is “Fostering Development and Entrepreneurship in the Fourth Industrial Revolution”.
The Co-Chairs of the World Economic on Latin America are: Asheesh Advani, President and Chief Executive Officer, JA Worldwide, USA; Hans-Paul Bürkner, Chairman, The Boston Consulting Group, USA; Patricia Espinosa Cantellano, Executive Secretary, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Germany; Alejandro P. Bulgheroni, Chairman Bridas Corporation, Argentina; Marcos Bulgheroni, Executive Director, Pan American Energy LLC, Argentina; and Eduardo S. Elsztain, Chairman, IRSA Inversiones y Representaciones, Argentina.
Notes to Editors
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