Gender inequality is one of the greatest human rights challenges we currently face, emphasized Vali Marszalek, head of the office of the CEO of HUP and director of the Global Compact Network Croatia at the Women in Business conference held at the Zagreb Fair.
She presented a black-and-white photograph of a round table from some past time, and then another one. In the first, there is only one woman, and in the second, depicting decision-makers from the recent climate summit COP26 in Glasgow, there are several women, but they are in a significant minority. Sixty years have passed since the first photograph was taken, and the slow progress of women’s equality during that period is disheartening.
– Progress remains slow due to structural and social barriers such as pay inequality, sexual harassment, support for working parents, and unconscious bias in selecting candidates for management positions. These barriers are reflected in the market and in the community – said Marszalek.
She pointed out that the pandemic affected everyone, but it had the greatest impact on women.
– Seventy percent of employees in the global health system most affected by the pandemic are women. They also decided in much greater numbers during the pandemic to leave their careers and dedicate themselves to their families. Business owners, since women already struggle to access capital, had to close their companies. The lockdown also led to an increase in domestic violence, which again primarily affected women – explained the head of the CEO’s office at HUP.
