UN Women Mexico, the UN Global Compact Network Mexico, the Mexican Business Council, and the Business Coordinating Council present an overview of the private sector on gender equality

UN Women, in collaboration with the Global Compact Network Mexico, the Mexican Business Council (CMN in Spanish), and the Business Coordinating Council (CCE in Spanish), presented the publication "Gender equality in the private sector: an insight into Mexican companies" (Igualdad de género en el sector privado: Una mirada a las empresas mexicanas). The document offers information based on information provided by Mexican companies that have used the Women's Empowerment Principles Gender Gap Analysis Tool, and it recommends specific actions for the formulation of gender equality policies.

The WEPs Gender Gap Analysis Tool is a free and confidential self-assessment tool developed by UN Women, the United Nations Global Compact, and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). It allows companies to identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities to improve their performance on gender equality in four areas: leadership, workplace, marketplace, and community. It is based on the seven Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs), established by UN Women and the UN Global Compact, to offer companies a "gender perspective" to analyze and measure ongoing initiatives regarding empowerment, progress, and investment in women.

The publication analyzes the responses of the 44 companies that used the WEPs Gender Gap Analysis Tool in Mexico, including Mexican companies and subsidiaries of multinational companies. The tool's use is free and confidential, so the publication presents aggregated data, and the 44 companies studied are not named.

Furthermore, the report guides the private sector in a context where the COVID-19 pandemic has posed significant challenges for gender equality. The private sector's role in responding to the crisis is crucial to place women at the center of the response and promote greater resilience in the long term. Gender equality is an opportunity to accelerate companies' recovery.

According to the publication results, Mexican companies promote gender equality and women's empowerment from the highest management level by having a gender equality strategy that comprises the entire organization and identifies priority areas to improve. Likewise, companies have policies and mechanisms that enable more inclusive and safe work environments. As an example, 38 of the 44 companies have a policy of non-discrimination and equal opportunities.

By using this tool, companies reaffirm their interest in self-assessment and in contributing to gender equality and women's empowerment, which is the first and most important step for progress on these issues. However, the private sector in Mexico still has a way to go. Among the recommendations contained in the publication, the following stand out: to develop strategies and establish special leadership development programs aimed at women; provide childcare spaces in the facilities or guarantee access to childcare services; establish policies and protocols to eliminate all forms of violence against women; establish a procurement policy with a gender perspective in the company; eliminate harmful gender stereotypes from all company communications and advertising campaigns, among other actions.

In the context of the COVID-19 crisis, the document recommends establishing consultative processes with staff about their experiences with remote work to understand the different effects of the crisis and design strategies to balance personal and work life. Likewise, it recommends companies to advocate for gender equality in company relations and communications; invest in community-level development programs and projects that promote gender equality and women's empowerment, and invest in initiatives that address the deepening of gender gaps resulting from the COVID-19 crisis.

The business sector calls on companies to join this initiative and use the WEPs Gender Gap Analysis Tool to strengthen their gender equality strategy and establish measurable and defined goals over time.

For more information:
Rosa del Carmen Martínez Cosío
Head of Media at UN Women
rosa.martinez@unwomen.org

Victoria Tapia Martinez
Responsible for Communication at Global Compact Network Mexico
comunicacion@pactomundial.org.mx

Veronica J. Gómez Sánchez
Responsible for Press at the Business Coordinating Council
vgomez@cce.org.mx

Link to the report (in Spanish)

Link to the press release (in Spanish)


ABOUT UN WOMEN
UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide.

ABOUT GLOBAL COMPACT NETWORK MEXICO
Launched on June 9, 2005, by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Global Compact Network Mexico was presented as a platform of services to Mexican businesses. It offers tools, training, and access to the most extensive international network knowledge and good practices of Corporate Social Responsibility.
Currently, the Global Compact Network Mexico comprises more than 700 participants. Its governance model consists of three bodies: Participants of the Network, Board of Directors, and Office of the Secretariat of the Global Compact Network Mexico. Its role is to support companies in committing to the United Nations Global Compact, integrating The Ten Principles and the 2030 Agenda in their operation, and creating multi-sector collective action opportunities.

ABOUT THE MEXICAN BUSINESS COUNCIL (CMN)
The Consejo Mexicano de Negocios (Mexican Business Council) emerged in 1962, and it comprises 59 Mexican businesspeople committed to promoting the country's social welfare and economic development. For more than 50 years, the Council has maintained an open and continuous dialogue with representatives of the government, civil society, academia, and other business organizations to work together on proposals and actions for Mexico's benefit.

ABOUT BUSINESS COORDINATING COUNCIL (CCE)
The Consejo Coordinador Empresarial (Business Coordinating Council of Mexico) is the highest representative body of the country's private sector, bringing together the 12 corporate business organizations, which represent more than 2 thousand associations and approximately 80% of Mexico's GDP. Its mission is to coordinate and represent the business sector's organizations as the engine of economic and social development in Mexico, promoting productivity, innovation, formal employment, and investment.