‘Create ecosystem of strategic enabler’
HANGZHOU: The world will be a better place when more women hold positions of power in the business world or the society.
This was not because the women were changing, but rather that the world was evolving, said Alibaba Group founder and executive chairman Jack Ma at the 2017 Global Conference on Women and Entrepreneurship, here, recently.
The conference, with the theme “Altruism, Inclusiveness and Dreams”, focused on how women could develop and grow in the She Era, a concept around the positive impacts women can create in the world.
Also present were World Bank president Dr Jim Yong Kim, United Nations assistant secretarygeneral and deputy executive director of United Nations Women, Lakshmi Puri, and fashion designer Vera Wang, among others.
The event also featured video messages from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan.
The world had grown more complicated over the past centuries under the dominance of men and women might have to take up the torch next, said Ma.
“If I were to be born again, I would like to become a woman. I would like to have two children and set up two good companies, not big companies,” added Ma.
“A man can build a big company but only a woman can build a good company. In this new millennium, a big company isn’t necessarily good, but only a good company can grow and prosper.”
He attributed Alibaba’s success since its founding almost 20 years ago to contributions from its female employees, the “secret sauce” behind its rapid growth.
Women now make up one-third of Alibaba’s 18 founders, its 36 partners as well as the senior management,
Ma, the richest man in Asia with a fortune of around US$40 billion, also believed that in only 30 years, it would be the men, and not women, who would be needing affirmative action.
“In the past, women in many countries aspired to marry a good husband and have a happy family. But in this new era, they can change and influence the world. Therefore, in 50 years, instead of a ‘He for She’ agenda, we may see a ‘She for He’ agenda.”
Meanwhile, UN’s Puri called for more efforts to be taken by companies to promote gender equality at workplaces.
All parties, be they employers or employees, must set up and follow a code of honour to guarantee women’s rights at work and end discrimination against them.
“An ‘ecosystem of the strategic enabler’ is needed to allow women to participate equally in the workplace with men,”
According to UN data, there is a 23 per cent gender pay gap worldwide on average.
“Employers must break the glass ceilings, the glass walls and the sticky floors.”
To this end, the UN has embarked on the Planet 50-50 by 2030 roadmap, aimed at empowering women in the workforce globally, and a key part of its Sustainable Development Goals plan. Fred Tan