The Foot Soldiers Of Change

For Tariq Chauhan, Group CEO of EFS Facilities Services Group, advancing gender parity starts from the ground up.

For too long, gender diversity has been ignored. In recent times, the conversation has intensified, but it still lacks translation into real change.

It reminds me of Helen Reddy, a famous singer from the ‘70s. She championed women’s rights and sang, “I am woman, I am strong, I am invincible. I am woman, I can do anything.” These words echo in my ears and remind me that women indeed can do anything. However, society first needs to take giant, collaborative leaps.

The data shows why it’s important to bring women into the mainstream. In 2019, the female labor force participation rate was 47%, 27 percentage points below the male rate. Meanwhile, it is estimated that women earn 23% less than men.

Everyone has a role to play in overcoming these challenges, but CEOs are in a prime position to spearhead change.

We have heard time and again about the role of women as homemakers. Women tend to make a much larger difference to society by virtue of their roles within their families. For example, they typically spend around 2.5 times more time on unpaid care and domestic work than men. It is estimated that if women’s unpaid work were assigned a monetary value, it would constitute between 10% and 39% of GDP. Yet, while 65% of men report having an account at a formal financial institution, only 58% of women can say the same worldwide.

If these women are supported through better employment opportunities, they can do wonders.

“Women are as good and capable as men are” – this must be the rule of thumb. Fair treatment, respect, and equal opportunities for women need to be instilled in organizational culture. In particular, women in the blue collar workforce need passionate corporate engagements that build trust and a meaningful approach to gender diversity that goes beyond acts of tokenism.

At EFS, we have hundreds of women who were given the opportunity to rise and shine beyond their routine progression. They not only demonstrated vigor and zeal at their respective workplaces, but also experienced a transformational shift in their overall work-life balance.

We have seen how women in the blue collar workforce have transformed their everyday lives, with most of them tripling their income levels by progressing to valuable positions in office administration and procurement. These unsung heroes have made a significant impact on society. Previously, most were in housekeeping, earning less than $500 a month, but they have been empowered to push boundaries – and by doing so, their confidence, financial independence, and selfbelief have soared.

These kinds of examples establish that the progression of women from lower income brackets can make a much more powerful impact on society than that of women who start from higher positions.

Women are foot soldiers of change, and their impact is profound.