We Are Women's History: Opening Doors to Gender Equality; A Women's History Month Op-Ed by
When Mrs. Estee Lauder placed her name on a jar of her signature cream 75 years ago, she challenged the status quo and built a company based on the principles of equality and women's advancement. Today, we are still making history. At
Today, we also see signs of change all around us. In the
As we celebrate Women's History Month this March, I would be remiss not to reflect on the unprecedented time we are living in now. The global pandemic has been devastating and challenging for everyone in every corner of the world, but it has been particularly hard on women. Women make up two-thirds of the global paid care workforce, placing them in the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis. The burden of childcare and family responsibilities means women are leaving the workforce at a rate four times higher than men. Yet, despite these incredible burdens, women have done what they always do: they rose to the occasion at work, at home, and at every level of our society. From nurses and caretakers, to business and government leaders around the world, women leaders have continued to shape our collective history through their pandemic response and recovery.
The current crisis has added deep complexity and a sense of urgency to close gaps without losing ground on progress in women's equality and advancement. Government resources have been drained, threatening public funding and investments to women's health programs and girl's education. In the
Women have done what they always do: they rose to the occasion at work, at home, and at every level of our society.
As a company, we believe these gaps should be closed. We believe all genders should have equal access to job opportunities and positions of leadership, including access to the tools and support to help them achieve their goals. We believe that all people deserve equal access to health, education and economic participation. Our aim is to help women and girls worldwide acquire the necessary life and leadership skills to become healthy and productive adults who can effect lasting change and break the cycle of poverty.
For these reasons, ELC has joined the
ELC's 2021 strategy on women's equity -Opening Doors: Women's Advancement and Gender Equality- honors our history and sets our sights to the future by aiming to level the playing field for all genders inside and outside of ELC, and by working to strengthen a culture of inclusion and diversity, advocacy, flexibility and engagement.
As a company, we have committed to:
Achieve gender pay equity by 2023
Increase representation of women from underrepresented groups in all regions and affiliates
Reach representation parity for Black women at all levels in the
Expand business-based flexibility for employees
Achieve gender parity on the Board of Directors by 2025
Achieve gender parity for women in senior leadership positions globally by 2025
Expand women's leadership development programs
Minimize bias and foster a company culture of inclusion and advocacy through engaging employees of all genders and levels globally in discussions, trainings and workshops
Support, encourage and engage all women at ELC through the global expansion of the Women's Leadership Network (WLN) employee resource group
Sustain our position a #1 leader in supporting research through the
Launch and expand select philanthropic partnerships in health and education
Advocate for equality of opportunity beyond ELC through select partnerships supporting women and girls
Already this past year, we have made progress on these goals, including:
Launched a
Introduced flexible work principles in order to support more balance for personal and family commitments
Expanded back-up childcare and eldercare employee benefits to support employees affected by COVID-19 closures
Concluded a global gender pay-gap analysis with the end-goal of achieving full equity in all aspects of employment at
Expanded the Women's Leadership Network to the
Mandated virtual unconscious bias training for all employees in the
Joined the
Pledged our support to the UN Sustainable Development Goal Number 5 to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls around the world to reach their full potential
We have incredible leaders around the table at
This Women's History Month we celebrate our founder, Mrs. Estee Lauder. We also celebrate the women leaders inside and outside our company and the male leaders and allies who are their critical partners.
We don't take our history for granted. We see the challenges and opportunities ahead and we know that we must work to advance women, wherever they are. We take time to celebrate. And then we roll up our sleeves.
(C) 2021 Electronic News Publishing, source