{"id":1004,"date":"2019-03-08T08:30:41","date_gmt":"2019-03-08T08:30:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/business-school\/?p=1004"},"modified":"2023-03-08T14:10:29","modified_gmt":"2023-03-08T13:10:29","slug":"balanceforbetter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/business-school\/balanceforbetter\/","title":{"rendered":"#BalanceforBetter"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
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To mark International Women\u2019s Day 2019, Dean Professor Rachel Ashworth highlights the significant contribution women have made, and continue to make, to the success and culture of Cardiff Business School, and explains a recent project designed to clarify the School\u2019s values. <\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The theme for this year\u2019s International Women\u2019s Day<\/a> is \u2018Balance for Better\u2019. There have been improvements in gender equality in recent years but, despite best efforts, the pace remains frustratingly slow. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Indeed, in February 2019 we heard that irrespective of the new UK government legislation our gender pay gap is widening<\/a>, rather than narrowing.  We know also that despite their outstanding academic achievements in the field of business, accounting and economics, women still struggle to reach senior positions in business organisations. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Research evidence is clear on why and how balance leads to better. My own research with colleagues, focused on our public services, shows that organisations with a better gender balance perform better and are more inclusive places to work. It also indicates that when employers invest in women with lower levels of human capital they can significantly boost their career outcomes. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cThere are always difficulties in putting equality into practice but our research shows that a gender mainstreaming approach enables organisations to address decades of occupational segregation and reduce their pay gaps.\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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The theme for this year\u2019s International Women\u2019s Day is \u2018Balance for Better\u2019. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

There is also plenty of evidence to demonstrate the value women add to decision-making in organisations, particularly at board level. In our case, this was demonstrated through a recent values project we undertook, led by the School\u2019s Shadow Management Board<\/a>. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The Board was initiated by two female Professional Services colleagues \u2013 Karen Jones and Vikki Burge<\/a> – and was designed to widen diversity and participation in decision-making. The aspirational values that emerged from the Board reflect the gender diversity within the group and highlight the need for our School to be empathetic, collaborative, courageous and reflective.  <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

We have created a short\r\nset of films<\/a> to illustrate our values. These films feature just a few of\r\nthe many extraordinary women we have at Cardiff Business School and capture the\r\ndifference they are making to the world in line with the School\u2019s Public\r\nValue strategy<\/a>. Jean Jenkins\u2019<\/a>\r\nwork focuses on exploitation in the global garment supply chain, Shumaila Yousafzai<\/a> supports female\r\nentrepreneurs, while Melanie\r\nJones<\/a> advises governments on gender and disability pay gaps.  Eleri\r\nRosier<\/a> is central to the Cardiff University engagement project in\r\nGrangetown, Dimitrinka Stoyanova Russell<\/a>\r\nhighlights precarious work in our creative industries, Yingli Wang<\/a> is\r\npassionate about food poverty, while Sue Bartlett<\/a> has ensured\r\nall our students have access to the employability opportunities they need. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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