In 1995, five years into her term as President of Ireland, Mary Robinson called out the role and progress of women in Irish society. “I’m glad that what I’ve seen over the last few years is a growth in the self-confidence of women at all levels ... I believe that the increasing participation of women at all levels will come up against resistance because women are determined to play more of a role, to share power, to develop their full potential. That also requires of men an adjustment, and that adjustment begins in the home context; that men will have to take on more of the responsibility in child-rearing and homemaking, and be more supportive in that context.”
Over 20 years have passed since Mary Robinson spoke these words, but they remained with Dr Michelle Cullen, head of inclusion and diversity at Accenture in Ireland. "Her words of empathy and inclusion, highlighting the changing roles of both women and men, had a lasting impact on me, and many of my generation," she says.
“In the five years following Robinson’s election, more women joined the Irish workforce than in the previous 20 years combined, and I was one of them. Over a 10-year period, the number of working mothers doubled.”
Despite this pathway to equality, the progression of women in the workplace has been slow. “Women are still not adequately represented in boardrooms, in media, politics and other areas like science and technology. So decisions are too often taken where 50 per cent of the population are not represented. Without gender diversity, inclusive solutions are impossible,” says Cullen.
“Knowing the profound impact that culture is having on our own transformation at Accenture, we were keen to explore the connection between culture and equality more deeply, and in particular, how to create a culture of equality for all – where women and men thrive.”
VIDEO: #InclusionStartsWithI is a discussion around the importance of a positive, inclusive work environment. Starring a group of Accenture people, this video demonstrates that bias can appear in both expected and unexpected ways—and that each of us has the power to make a difference.
Global research from Accenture has identified 40 workplace factors that create a culture of equality — including the 14 key factors that matter the most. The results, published in the company's Getting to Equal 2018 report, detail the most effective actions that business leaders can take to accelerate advancement.
The research is based on a survey of more than 22,000 working men and women in 34 countries — including Ireland — to measure their perception of factors that contribute to their workplace cultures. Among the key factors linked to advancement are:
- Not asking employees to conform to a dress or appearance code;
- Having an agreed diversity target and being willing to share it externally;
- Giving employees the freedom to work from home, particularly on days they have personal commitments;
- Having an active women's network with participation from men and women;
- Widespread use of virtual technology practices to limit overseas travel;
- Providing training to keep employees' skills relevant.
Another critical factor according to the report is encouraging equal parental leave. The research suggests that implementing maternity leave alone, is likely to hold women back from career progression, but when companies encourage parental leave for men and women, the negative impact on women’s advancement is cancelled out.
“Too often, it is assumed that only women need or care about family friendly policies, but men are also parts of families and changing the culture to encourage men to also avail of family friendly policies is critical for the next generation,” says Cullen.
“Outdated assumptions about the roles of women and men in society are unhelpful, including in the workplace. Gender equality is not a women’s issue, it never was. It is a human issue, and always was. The prize is a better workplace for everyone.”
More than 700 people in Ireland took part in the global survey, which found that more than half (59 per cent) of Irish women surveyed work for organisations without a women’s network. In companies that do have such an initiative in place, more than one third (39 per cent) participate, with one third (31 per cent) of those women in a women’s network that also includes men.
“We actively seek to attract, retain, advance and sponsor women and have a dedicated Accent on Gender Equality programme. This programme provides women with the support and tools to help them advance in the organisation, and it recruits people of all genders to raise their awareness and be advocates for gender equality,” Cullen explains.
The benefit of such a network is evident, as the research also shows that Irish women are eight times more likely to be on the fast track in organisations where there is at least one female senior leader (24 per cent compared to three per cent, where there is no female senior leader).
“Bold leadership is key; we recently publicly announced our aim to achieve a 50/50 gender balance globally by 2025. The commitment from the top down has been critical to our success at Accenture where our ultimate collective goal is to create a truly human environment where people have a real sense of belonging, where they can show up every day, be who they are and be their best, both professionally and personally,” says Cullen.
So, what will it take to create a culture of equality? “Each and every one of us. Because organisations don’t change ... people do. People are the heart and soul of any organisation, and culture lives and breathes in each of us. When we commit as individuals to make change, collectively we lift each other up, paving the way for workplace equality,” Cullen concludes.