Gender equality in the workplace seminar held in a “men talking to men” format

In Georgia, as around the world, high-level managerial and decision-making positions in the private sector are mostly occupied by men. Among which are companies that are signatories to the United Nations Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), those that seek to make gender equality an integral part of their corporate culture. UN Women naturally provides multifaceted support to business organizations and their leaders in achieving this goal. Within this process, special emphasis has been placed on raising awareness, and various types of educational activities are therefore being held to help achieve this.

One such event was a seminar held on 22 and 23 September in Tbilisi at the initiative of UN Women Georgia, in the format of “men talking to men”. It was attended by 18 high-level management representatives from companies and businesses that are signatories to the WEPs.

The purpose of the event was to increase the awareness and the sensitivity of participants regarding gender equality so that they can make real, sustainable changes to management processes in their companies, and thereby contribute more effectively to implementation of the WEPs.

During the seminar, special attention was drawn to the presentation of successful examples and steps that help modify workplace culture and that encourage women in leadership positions. Particular emphasis was also placed on data, which are valuable and extremely important both in the support of gender equality and in raising business profits to then carry out policies necessary for the implementation of WEPs within their sector.

Seminar participant Giorgi Vekua, Director of the Business and Regional Development Department of the Georgian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, remarked after the event: “The most fascinating for me were the conversations about the role of the private sector in the process of achieving gender equality, [especially] how management based on the right values can influence the corporate culture of the organization. All the participants of the meeting agreed that the involvement of each link in the company and the sharing of values will directly affect both its increased profit and a healthy working environment.”

Towards the end of the seminar, the participants discussed issues concerning maternity leave, the prevention of sexual harassment, the selection of employees based on the principles of gender equality, and the formation of a safe working environment, among other topics.

Backing WEPs and the initiatives implemented for this purpose are part of the Women’s Economic Empowerment component of the “Good Governance for Gender Equality in Georgia” project, implemented with support from the Government of Norway.