Five ways to enhance gender balance at the workplace

An organisation should strive to offer equal pay, equal opportunities for progression, and equal consideration of needs. [iStockphoto]

What a man can do, a woman can do better, it’s a common saying over the decade after an effort to empower the girl child. For a long time, men have always had the upper hand in almost every sector. May it be politics, religion, business, sports and life in general.

The term “Gender balance” refers to “an equitable distribution of life's opportunities and resources between women and men, and/or the equal representation of women and men.” ... Given the differences between men and women, equal treatment may not always result in equal outcomes.

Women equality traces back to the feminist movement which refers to a series of political campaigns for reform on a variety of issues that affect women’s quality of life in the world.

An organisation should strive to offer equal pay, equal opportunities for progression, and equal consideration of needs.

Strategies to enhance gender equality in an organisation:

1. Giving training to raise awareness

Some roles are denied to women due to a lack of experience. Professional training is given to staff and allows women to learn skills. For instance, few women work as plant operators at construction sites. Learning skills has enables women to peruse complex man dominated roles in transport, engineering and ICT.

2. Enacting family-friendly facilities

Women are the heart of the family structure. An organization should be sensitive to family-related matters such as giving maternity leaves to expectant workers.

3. Acknowledge successful women in the organization

Motivation is a performance catalyst in an organization. Women should be celebrated to handle challenges and not condemned and threatened when they are overwhelmed by job pressure.

4. Policies for better pay

Money is always a scarce resource. A good approach to money is to draft policies to empower the financial life of its workers. For instance, in the case of a risk allowance at work, a woman should enjoy such a privilege equally.

5. Evaluate senior positions for women

Organization management should put in place measures to allow women to hold leadership positions in high offices. Gender balance in leadership minimizes biases in decision making.