Gender Equality Initiatives

Working from home reduces the motherhood penalty by 77%. Seventy. Seven. Percent. A new study from Italy found that when mothers can work from home, they're less likely to reduce their hours and more likely to continue progressing in their careers. Which, when you think about it, is hardly shocking. It's much easier to stay on track at work when you're not spending two hours a day commuting, frantically trying to get to nursery before it closes and operating with the logistical complexity of a mid-sized military operation. But there's more.. Fathers' flexibility matters too. Some people insist on calling it the "parenthood penalty", but mothers and fathers do not experience parenthood in the labour market in the same way. Mothers take the financial hit. Fathers generally don't. However, when fathers have access to remote work, mothers' financial losses after childbirth are significantly smaller. Why? Because childcare, school pickups, sick days and life admin stop being Mum's problem by default and start becoming a shared responsibility. The researchers found that a father's ability to work remotely has almost as much impact on a mother's earnings as her own ability to do so. The report goes even further. It estimates that if all jobs that could be done remotely actually allowed people to work remotely, the lifetime gender earnings gap would shrink by 30%. Thirty percent. Just by letting people work from the place where they also happen to keep the tiny humans alive. Imagine that. https://lnkd.in/eBjMe3NM

“Until men can bear children and breastfeed, you can give them all the time off in the world - it’ll still be mum left holding the baby.” OK Celia, I want to take this moment to say (respectfully but firmly) that is nonsense. Yes, there are biological differences. No one’s denying that. But that’s not the point. The more important point is this: if we never give men time, space, or the expectation to step up as equal parents, then of course mum ends up holding the baby; both literally and figuratively. What enhanced paternity leave actually supports dads to do is: • Bond with their child, which is an essential foundation for long-term involvement and better outcomes for everyone. • Support their partner’s physical and emotional recovery after childbirth. • Learn how to parent independently, rather than being the backup to mum’s default. • Rewire their brain through hands-on caregiving, building empathy, confidence, and connection. This isn’t about erasing the role of mothers. It’s about sharing the load. Because here’s the real issue: 80% of the gender pay gap is driven by the motherhood penalty, and as long as fathers aren’t supported to take an equal role in caregiving, women will continue to pay the price at home and at work. That statement isn’t just outdated, it’s damaging. It limits dads, exhausts mums, and reinforces the inequities we are trying to solve. So no, it’s not enough to say “men can’t breastfeed.” They can feed. They can comfort. They can co-parent. And they can absolutely hold the baby...if we give them the time and expect them to use it. Let’s stop debating the bare minimum and start imagining what shared care really looks like. #EqualParenting #PaternityLeave #ParentingOutLoud #CareWorkIsWork #GenderEquity #CloseTheGap #ModernFatherhood #ParentalLeave

It was a little ironic. The opening session of the UN's Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) this week had five men in a row speaking on gender equality. However, it wasn't planned this way. Speaker number 3, the President of the UN Economic and Social Council, was called away to a family emergency, as her (male) replacement wryly noted: "so instead of the female president, you are getting the male vice president, adding to the agenda disbalance of this opening”. There were dry chuckles in the room. Despite the not-to-ideal opening, I found the CSW68 opening session inspiring and impactful. During this session, and some of the others I have attended this week, we were reminded of the stark inequalities that persist around the world. Some particularly resonant take aways from me have been: 👉 Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres' powerful opening speech, where he stated: "Patriarchy is far from vanquished – it is regaining ground, autocrats and others are promoting ‘traditional values’. Patriarchy is an age old tradition. We don’t want to bring it back, we want to turn it back. We don’t want granddaughters to enjoy less freedoms than their grandmothers had". I found this very moving. 👉 UN Women Executive Director, Sima Bahous' address, where she explained: "Poverty continues to have a women’s face. More women experience poverty than men. 1 in 10 women live in extreme poverty. 342m women and girls will be living in poverty by 2030 at current rate of progress". Wow, just wow. 👉 UN Women Senior Data and Policy Specialist, Ginette Azcona's update on progress against the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): With only 6 years remaining until the 2030 target, NONE of the 17 SDGs have been met, and only 2 are close to target. There has been very little progress since last year. And if that isn't depressing enough, consider these facts: 👉 54% of countries still lack key laws on gender equality, including on equal rights to enter a marriage and initiate a divorce 👉 Globally women hold just 27% of seats in parliament 👉 With the current (slow) pace of change, women are on track to hold just 30% of managerial roles by 2030 👉 At the current (slow) rate of progress, by 2050 women will spend on average an additional 2.3 hours per day on unpaid care and domestic work than men. The time is NOW to lean forward and take meaningful actions to accelerate the pace of change. Not sure what to do? How about signing up to the UN's Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs): https://www.weps.org/about You can check here whether your organisation is a WEPs signatory, and if not, ask your leadership team why not: https://lnkd.in/eHgu2cRC #GenderEquality #GenderEquity https://lnkd.in/eWfeqHrY

The 5 pillars of male allyship Yesterday I hosted a session for a Global law firm on male allyship. It was hosted in London but people flew in from across Asia, America and Europe so it was great to include different perspectives on allyship from across the world. I set out what I see as the 5 key pillars of male allyship: 1️⃣ Gender equality is not a zero-sum game. Men have LOTS do gain from a more gender-equal world, so be an accomplice, not just an ally, and invest your time and energy into gender equality initiatives. 2️⃣ Understand The Authority Gap. I quoted research from Mary Ann Sieghart's book around how women are more likely to be interrupted, have their authority and competence questioned. So as men, we have to understand this is happening, check our bias, make sure we aren't perpetrators, spot when it is happening around us and address it. 3️⃣ Audit who you are sponsoring. According to the Harvard Business Review, men are 46% more likely to have a sponsor. But sponsorship is critical to getting promoted into senior levels. We must audit who we see as talent and who we are supporting by promoting their work and putting a good word in for stretch opportunities. 4️⃣ If you are a dad, practise Parenting Out Loud! Equal parenting is key to addressing the motherhood penalty which is the vast majority of the gender pay gap. Help to de-gender caring by taking the full parental leave available, working flexibly and being loud and proud about your caring responsibilities at work. 5️⃣ ‘Call in’ sexism and misogyny when you see it. It's tough. It can mean confrontation. But it's a must to stand up and call other men in when you see inappropriate behaviour. We had a great discussion around how to do this in practice. We ended with a panel of senior men and partners who spoke about their experience of male allyship and how they practise these 5 pillars. My overall message was to do something differently. Events are great and if done well they really can plant the seeds of behaviour change. But ultimately, it's on the individual, especially senior leaders, to take ownership of that behaviour change which, in turn, shapes organisational culture. Read more about my male allyship talks and workshops here: https://lnkd.in/esas8Qe8 #Allyship #ParentingOutLoud #Inclusion

🔻 “Just Say No.” Three words that sound like power, but land like punishment... Because for women, “No” isn’t just a decision, It’s a reputation risk, a relationship gamble, and an emotional weight we carry long after the meeting ends. Women don’t lack the ability to say no. Women lack the permission to say it without consequences. 🧠 When women say no, we don’t just avoid a task. We spend the next 72 hours running mental spreadsheets: “Will I be seen as unhelpful?” “Did I just close a door?” “Will this show up in my performance review as ‘not a team player’?” Meanwhile, the system quietly does its thing: 👉 Women are asked 44% more often than men to take on the tasks no one wants. 👉 The ones that don’t lead to promotions, raises, or recognition. 👉 The “office housework” that keeps things running, and keeps us invisible. 🤔 Why does this keep happening? Because the system assumes women will say yes. Because we’re trained to value harmony over ambition. Because it’s easier for leaders to lean on “the reliable one” than to fix a broken distribution of labor. 🧾 So how do we actually break the cycle, not just in theory, but in Tuesday-at-4pm reality? 1. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿.    If it matters to the business, put it on the record. Add it to goals, KPIs, project charters. Recognition should be measurable, not just “thank you so much, you’re a star.”     2. 𝗘𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗽.    Stop asking for “a volunteer” and watching the same women raise their hands. Rotate. Track. Make fairness the default, not convenience.     3. 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗹.    “No, not this time,” should not require an apology, a nervous smile, or a 7-line justification. A healthy team can absorb boundaries. A dysfunctional one punishes them.     4. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱, 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗿.    If your team’s stability rests on the unpaid emotional and operational labor of a few women, that’s not high performance. That’s quiet exploitation dressed up as “she’s amazing, she just handles everything.”     And here’s the career truth no one puts in the leadership decks for women: 💥The more your value is tied to invisible labor, the harder it is to move. If you want a real career move in 2026, up, sideways, or outside of the company, you need your time back for high-impact work, not an endless stream of “can you just…?” 📆 On 26 November at 7:30pm Singapore time, Uma and I are hosting “𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 – 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲.” We’ll get practical about three things: What to say no to, what to double down on, and how to make sure the right people actually see the difference. 👇 Join us here: https://lnkd.in/gp2qU5yD 👊 Because your next promotion should not be built on unpaid, uncredited “yes.”

Why do parents in India want to know the gender of the child during pregnancy? During my 28 years of founding and leading a diagnostics company, one of the challenges I faced was following the PCPNDT Act. This is an act that prevents gender identification during pregnancy by the radiologist or the gynaecologist. But who asks for this? The parents! The PCPNDT Act is so irrational that it attempts to curb the medical fraternity, but nothing is done to the society that actually seeks and acts on this information. Even in today’s world, why do families in India prefer boys over girls? Despite the “apparent progress” being shown in our society, women continue to be discriminated against. Gender inequality in India remains a pressing issue. ◼️Education: → Despite improvements, female literacy rates lag behind male literacy rates. → Female literacy stands at 70%, while male literacy is 84.7%. → Rural areas face significant challenges, with traditional norms often limiting girls' education. ◼️Employment: → Female participation in the workforce is alarmingly low at around 21%. → Barriers include societal expectations, lack of childcare facilities, and discrimination in hiring and promotions. ◼️Health and Nutrition: → Gender inequality in healthcare leads to sex-selective abortions and neglect of girl children. → Women face disparities in accessing healthcare, especially reproductive health services. → Women often suffer from malnutrition due to unequal food distribution within families. ◼️Political Representation: → Women are underrepresented in political positions at both national and local levels. → Despite initiatives like reserved seats in local governments, the overall representation in national parliament and state legislatures remains low. ◼️Violence and Safety: → Violence against women - domestic violence, sexual harassment, and honour killings - is a severe issue. → Weakly enforced legal protections and societal attitudes normalise such violence. ◼️Social Norms and Cultural Practices: → Deep-rooted patriarchal norms influence gender roles and expectations. → Dowry, child marriage, and restrictions on women's mobility limit opportunities for personal and professional growth. 🔶How can we address these issues head-on?  → Encourage girls' education, especially in rural areas. → Promote policies that support women in the workforce. → Ensure equal access to healthcare for women. → Increase women's representation in politics. → Strengthen enforcement of laws protecting women from violence. → Challenge and change patriarchal norms and cultural practices. This Women's Equality Day, I urge everyone to -  - look beyond gender and seek only capabilities.  - give women an equal opportunity.  - give “half our population” equal rights. An outstretched hand can push people down or lift them up. The choice is yours! ✅What do you think we can do to uplift women?

My article in The Quint. “Societal norms and cultural messages often reinforce the idea that men are the primary breadwinners and public figures, while women are primarily responsible for domestic duties. When women challenge these traditional roles, it can disrupt deeply ingrained patriarchal beliefs. The case in Kolkata seems even more nuanced as it is an example of greed, corruption and crimes playing out over a woman’s body because she “dared” to question. We of course don’t know the truth yet. Whatever it is, the answer is to let women fill theses spaces. We shall double down on our work on shifting social norms so that more and more girls feel empowered to step up, seek out the world and work outside of homes, have dreams and aspirations of careers that help them be seen out there, playing, relaxing, taking buses, entering markets, eating in restaurants, giving political speeches in crowded chowks; being doctors, engineers, pilots, wrestlers, plumbers, ward councillors in large numbers. We have to equip our girls with a strong sense of self, of being masters of their own decisions and lives. We have to train institutions to provide safety nets and implement in all sincerity laws on sexual harassment in workplaces, provide services that help women seek stigma-free, and essential mental health counselling at workplaces. We have to make sure police procedures are free from corruption along with swift and accurate investigations and meting out sentences take priority. And lastly, we have to train men on how to treat their female colleagues as equals, with respect and how to ask for consent before they can pay random innuendoed compliments. Only then, “into that heaven of freedom,” will the women of my country thrive.” #genderequality #genderequity #norms #masculinity #violenceagainstwomen #genderbasedviolence

When men step into caregiving roles, they begin to understand the systemic barriers women face daily. Globally, women perform over three times as much unpaid care work as men, totaling 12.5 billion hours every day. Valued at minimum wage, this equals $10.8 trillion annually — more than three times the size of the global tech industry (Oxfam). In countries where caregiving is shared and publicly supported, #women are freer to pursue economic and leadership opportunities. In Iceland, both mothers and fathers are entitled to six months of paid parental leave at 80% of their salary under a “use it or lose it” policy. This has led to more women returning to the workforce after maternity leave. Combined with heavily subsidized childcare, these policies help reduce the “motherhood penalty” — a major driver of gender inequality that accounts for 80% of the gender pay gap (World Economic Forum). In 2020 alone, over 2 million mothers left the workforce, contributing to a sharp drop in women’s labor force participation (ILO, via WEF). But when governments and families share the responsibility of care, women are empowered to stay in the #workforce, lead, and thrive. Transforming norms of masculinity and investing in shared caregiving are not just #gender issues — they are economic necessities. Only by sharing care can we build a future where everyone has the freedom and #opportunity to lead. #economicempowerment

We Need More Men in the Kitchen. India’s gender equality problem will not be solved in boardrooms. It will be solved in the kitchens. Yes, I know I’m two days late. March 8th came and went with the usual routine. Corporate posts, Women’s Day campaigns, Office celebrations, Marketing campaigns and some companies acknowledging the low participation of women in the workforce. Everyone did something or other to capitalise on it. But the real conversation usually stops before it reaches the root of the problem. Why do we talk about empowering women only on Women’s Day? Because the truth is, while the world debates AI, space tech, and trillion-dollar economies, some of the most basic structural issues still remain unresolved. Let’s look at a few numbers. >> Women in India spend 363 minutes a day on unpaid domestic work. Men spend about 123 minutes. >> 41% of women aged 15-59 are involved in caregiving for household members. For men, the number is 21.4%. >> And in India, for every $100 earned by men, women earn just $29.9. The resulting factor? Careers slow down, and many women leave the workforce. If one person carries most of the domestic responsibilities, the professional drop-off is not surprising. It is inevitable. Which is why it brings me to a simple thought. We need more men in the kitchen. And when this becomes normal, something powerful happens. Women get a Room, Time, and Space. The three things every ambitious human being needs. Only then will we see more women build, lead, and thrive in the workforce. Because diversity may have reached boardrooms. But the real missing link is still the support system at home. And to all the men reading this. No work is small. Cooking or doing household chores will not make you smaller. If anything, it might be one of the most meaningful steps toward building a more equal world. Maybe next Women’s Day, instead of just posting about empowerment, we can start practising at home. After all, Real empowerment is not announced once a year. It is practised every day.

India’s Economy Has a Missing Engine: Women Especially women from lower-income backgrounds. A McKinsey study estimated that India could add $770 billion to GDP by 2025 by simply advancing gender parity in work. But instead, female labor force participation fell from 32% (2005) to ~20% (2020). https://lnkd.in/dvys4E6f Despite progress in some areas, female labor force participation in India is among the lowest in the world, even lower than some Sub-Saharan African countries. Why Are So Many Poor Women Underemployed or Not Properly Utilized? 1. Social and Cultural Barriers • Deep-rooted patriarchy restricts women’s mobility, especially in rural or conservative areas. • Girls are often seen as temporary earners, their “real role” is expected to be at home. 2. Safety and Mobility • Public transport is unsafe or unavailable, making it harder for women to travel to work. • Fear of harassment, especially in cities or during night shifts, keeps families from letting women work. 3. Unpaid Labor at Home • Women spend hours daily doing unpaid work: cooking, cleaning, child care, elder care. • This invisible labor is neither recognized nor redistributed. • Poor women, in particular, bear the double burden of poverty and gendered expectation. 4. Lack of Suitable Jobs - There is no structured pathway from informal to formal employment. 5. Policy & Structural Failure • Skill development programs often don’t reach women or are too generic and disconnected from market realities. • No large-scale, nationwide push for rural women entrepreneurship, decentralized production, or employment guarantees for women. • Schemes exist, but access is broken due to middlemen, corruption, or lack of information. Poor women: • Walk miles for water • Raise children with limited resources • Cook without clean fuel • Manage micro-budgets like CFOs of households Yet the system never sees them as ‘employable’ or ‘productive’. What Can Change This? 1. Localized employment: Bring dignified work to villages (e.g., food processing, crafts, decentralised manufacturing). 2. Safe, affordable transport: So women can commute without fear. 3. Women-led cooperatives and micro-enterprises: Let women own their work, not just participate. 4. Recognition of unpaid work: Design policies around time poverty, not just joblessness. 5. Mindset shift: From “allowing” women to work to realizing they hold the key to national growth. We talk of “demographic dividend” but leave half the population on the sidelines. A country that sidelines its women isn’t just unjust, it is chronically underperforming.