The biggest dilemma of women in the workplace: work and families must “follow the call”
With more and more discussions on gender equality, demonstration and reflection are deeper. Many people agree with gender equality, but it is inevitable that such questions are inevitable: gender equality is good, but do I have to act?
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2018 is the Asian year. The McKinsey Global Research Institute released a report on “The Power of Part of PARTIY: Advancing Women’s Equality in Asia Pacific”, which analyzes the characteristics and reasons behind gender equality in different regions. At the same time, The report also hopes to explain to more companies and individuals, gender equality, why is it worth your participation.
The performance mode of “standing at any time”
Women are more likely to encounter glass ceilings in the workplace, but most people are not very clear about the reasons that hinder women becoming leaders.
According to McKinsey’s investigation, women’s job ratio in leadership positions is relatively low, and they are all worldwide. On average, the proportion of women in the Asia -Pacific region in the board of directors rose from 6%in 2011 to 13%in 2016, but compared with the global average (28%), it is still low.
Chinese women’s workplace status: Asia -Pacific leading world lag behind the world
McKinsey conducted a survey of women and their companies. Corporate executives believed that women’s primary reasons (45%) were the performance model of “any time, any time (Anywhere, Anywhere)”. In other words, if you want to succeed in the company and become senior managers, you must work at any time anytime, anywhere. This is unfair for women who have assumed more parenting responsibilities and family care in reality.
In Huaqiangsen’s view, the use of flexible personnel model is an effective way for enterprises to give full play to the potential of female employees. The company can create different options and roads for female employees in need, which is convenient for them to participate in various flexible projects. This is not only conducive to women’s workplace influence and corporate income.
Investment dilemma of “gender equality”
There are more and more feminist spokespersons, but there are still not many companies that can implement gender equality. This is the so -called “tragedy of the commons”. In other words, although something is good for society, do I have to do it?
Enterprises believe that when I need to spend some funds that did not have to spend, I will fall into some disadvantages. Therefore, the issue of investment willingness is the most fundamental challenge for enterprises to promote gender equality policies.
From this perspective, we must prove that the budget that drives gender equality is an investment that can bring high returns in performance for enterprises.
McKinsey’s investigation evidence shows that gender diversification is correlated with company performance.
McKinsey pointed out in the January 2018 report “Delivering Through Diversity” that from the perspective of the gender diversification level of the executive team, the highest probability of obtaining a higher profit rate at the highest level of enterprises obtained a higher profit rate It will increase 21%, and the probability of achieving excellent value creation will increase by 27%. In terms of profit and diversification, the best performance of business departments (usually creating income) women’s executives are more than women’s executives of the administrative department.
Women’s “free care” problem
Although according to reality, McKinsey encourages enterprises to change the performance model of “standing at any time” and solve the dilemma of women in the workplace for difficulties in balance of families and work. In fact, the difficulty of balanced family and career makes women bear itself alone.
Under the influence of traditional family concepts, most of the housework and parenting work are borne by women. Although these housework occupies a lot of women’s time and energy, family and society have not habit of pricing these work. Family affairs have become “free care.”
Can women in the workplace choose not to do it? Under the influence of Asian culture, it is difficult. Men do not bring their children, and society will not have a strong dislike, but if the mother is devoted to work without taking the child, the family and society will blame her that she is not a good mother.
If you don’t spend money, you can get something, and people will often waste it. Therefore, women’s unpaid care of care has become the core challenge facing economy and society.
The McKinsey survey also found that if the unpaid care of women in the Asia -Pacific region is included in the measurement scope of GDP, it will increase the total GDP in the Asia -Pacific region 3.8 trillion US dollars, which is equivalent to 15%of the GDP in the region.
Chinese women’s workplace status: Asia -Pacific leading world lag behind the world
On the other hand, traditional concepts generally believe that once women participate in work, children will be wronged, but the facts are exactly the opposite.
Supporting women to participate in labor can help them increase income, and then help them and their families improve their lives. In a society where women have more job opportunities, children’s condition is better.
On this basis, Hua Qiangsen suggested that the “free care” problem of women should still be solved by investment issues:
First of all, we should pricing for free care. In this way, people will use it more carefully. They can not only give more value to the work of taking care of the family, and provide rewards for those who take on this job. Secondly, it provides people with more choices through investment. For example, through science and technology, people can choose to introduce medical care to the family and take care of the elderly at home, instead of sending the elderly to the hospital; enterprises can also increase parenting facilities so that women can choose to take their children to work instead of being required to be required to be long -term Repair for maternity leave.
In fact, we cannot judge which model is the best for each individual, but we can learn from different countries and regions to create more choice opportunities.
Promoting gender equality is not only social issues, cultural issues, but also economic problems. Therefore, to solve the gender discrimination in the workplace not only requires us to advance with the times in the concept of gender, and economy and investment are also critical issues.
Hua Qiangsen, Dean of the Global Research Institute of McKinsey:
NetEase Woman: What are the similarity and differences between China and other parts of Western countries/regions?
Huaqiangsen: In 2018, we released the “The Power of PARTIY: Advancing Women’ s Equality in Asia Pacific. ” We have formulated many indicators for the effectiveness of a country/region in promoting gender equality. In most aspects, China is close to the average level, and sometimes it can even exceed the average level.
For China, if you want to learn how to get the best results through investment and train and train a whole generation of women, then you should focus on how to cultivate and retain these women, especially when their positions in the organization, the more they When it comes to higher.
Netease Woman: There are many research on gender equality, but there are not many companies that can achieve gender equality. What do you think is the reason?
Huaqiangsen: First of all, I think gender is a “tragedy of the commit” problem. In other words, although this is a good thing for society, do I have to do it? Both individuals and enterprises think that they need to spend some funds that have no need to spend, and think they will fall into disadvantages because of this.
Therefore, I think the issue of this willingness to invest is the most fundamental challenge. From this perspective, I think we must first prove that this is an investment that can bring higher returns in performance. Surveys have proved that increasing diversity can increase shareholders’ return and reduce social costs. Traditional concepts usually believe that once women participate in work, children will be wronged, but the facts are just the opposite. In a society where women have more job opportunities, children’s conditions are better.
Netease Woman: What do you think of Chinese women’s careless work for free?
Hua Qiangsen: Obviously, it is obviously a job, but there is no salary. If we can get something without spending money, we will often waste it. I think this is the core challenge facing economy and society. I think one of the methods to solve this problem is to pricing for free care. But in any case, I still think that we should reduce this demand through investment, so that people can choose whether to participate.
Different countries have adopted different models. So we don’t know which model is the best, but we do believe that different countries/regions should learn from each other.
NetEase Woman: What is the root cause of hindering women to become leaders?
Hua Qiangsen: According to the investigation of our women and its company, the first reason for people to leave the workplace is what we call the performance model of “any time, any place”. In other words, if you want to succeed in the company, if you want to be a senior manager, you must work on time anytime, anywhere. From the report, this is the first reason. In addition, lack of examples, difficulties, dual burdens of family, and other factors have also caused them to be unable to achieve true balance. I think this is the clearest expression we know about challenges.
Whether this is a fact, we should admit that this is indeed a problem. In other words, the underlying factors that cause you to stay at any time, anywhere, are indeed a problem, which may cause some controversy. We should find some ways to give companies the opportunity to use talents and provide a variety of professional paths and professional opportunities to achieve progress.
Netease Woman: How to make men a promoter of gender equality in the workplace?
Hua Qiangsen: One of the best ways is to let them think about their daughters, or their mothers, so that people can understand that this is actually a issue related to personal interests, which is about half of the world’s opportunities and fate. Therefore, I think that for most politicians, if you want to really work, you should turn it into a thing related to personal interests. In addition, I think this is still an economic opportunity.
