These days, the social movement that seeks to vindicate women’s rights maintains the news agendas in the Western world full. However, although we know that gender equity issues are not new at all, I am very pleased to see this new generation of women raising social awareness so as to generate a true cultural change.
In the past, women who chose to start a family and continue practicing their profession faced great challenges, mainly due to social prejudices. Many of us opted to adjust both roles, facing a twofold responsibility – home/work – which at that time was questioned by the labor market and difficult to cope with.
Of course, there were exceptions, and at the executive level. I personally must point out that 30 years ago I gained access to the management of a major company in the service area when I was a few weeks pregnant. It represented a double challenge both for me and for the employer, but my career moved forward. And what was most important, the desire to integrate a family project into a work project also continued.
Today, the insertion of women into the world of work is accepted and widely valued.
However, some cultural barriers still persist because the guidelines have not changed and the male and female roles in our society continue to be marked off.
For example, nowadays we have a very horizontally segmented labor market, which confines women to a reduced set of occupations that are defined as typically female: teachers, nurses, secretaries, salespeople, communicators, etc.
Although the new generations are gradually changing the paradigm, opting for less traditional careers and conquering new spaces. It is essential for the private sector to collaborate by installing good labor practices. That will result in improving the incorporation and career development of women, through actions that allow the reconciliation between work, family and personal life. The flexibility of the working day, homeworking – to support the tasks of motherhood – and a career plan are some of the options that can cooperate with the development and more equitable incorporation of women into the work market.
From MarketCross we contribute to gender equality in all positions of our business structure. The selection of our collaborators is carried out on the basis of the skills for the position, but fundamentally professional commitment is valued without regard to gender. Likewise, we clear the way for the continuity of the work and professional career of those women (and also men) who, in their personal lives, opt for a family made up of one or more children. In these cases, flexibility is the key and nowadays, technological infrastructure allows us to be connected from anywhere and whenever we need it.
Personally, I stand up for a society in which people are equal, seeking to complement each other, with respectful, happy, quality and honored relationships. But we also need to continue working from all available means at our disposal so that women, in any field and situation, can freely choose and decide their path in work and personal life.
