Gender workplace diversity is a situation where there is an equal representation of males and females in an organisation. Here, there is a fair balance of power between different genders within an organisation and this helps to increase business performance in a competitive global economy.
Do you remember the days where prejudices and practices that portrayed women as inferior to men existed? Well, thank God the narrative is changing. The marginalisation of women in the Ghanaian society is fast becoming a thing of the past, and business organisations are now employing the services of women to man their affairs. Yet more needs to be done for women to obtain equal status.
In recent times, the sensitisation of women on some outlawed practices has made them more empowered. This has heightened awareness on the need to take up roles in the frontline. However to enhance equal status at the workplace, there should be strong anti-bullying and anti-harassment policies in place to secure the female gender in the workplace.
Secondly, there should be inclusiveness. Minority voices like that of women are usually the least heard when it comes to taking important business decisions. In order to encourage more women leaders, the corporate culture must be reviewed to give all employees a fair share in decision making. This would help to challenge the gender stereotypes against women and ensure that confident women are not termed bossy just because they are assertive.
Moreover, organisational processes and systems should be transparent to give way for increased participation in activities. There should be a balance of power in managerial and executive roles to ensure that qualified women are sought after and employed to encourage higher participation of women in decision-making institutions.
In addition, business organisations must endeavour to provide incentives for women as a way of empowering them to be more productive and to carry out income-generating projects. For instance, organisations can create training programmes that will help women to upgrade their skills at all levels of education.
Again, organisations should make provision for women of childbearing age to have access to maternal and child health services. Companies can go as far as setting up child-friendly areas in their premises to ease the burden of the working mother. This will provide a safe environment for both the mother and child and save them time from running around during working hours and after work.
Gender workplace diversity must be a collective effort. Not only must gender roles be abolished, but women must be given equal opportunity to take part in the labour force, and to shine in their respective fields.
GENDER WORKPLACE DIVERSITY
