Q&A: Insights from Mexico on gender parity

Mexico ranks 68th out of 136 countries on the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index. While the gender gap on education has been closed, women still lag behind men in terms of labour force participation, representation in leadership positions and wages.

Carlos Danel, co-founder of microfinance institution Compartamos, is also co-chair of the Mexico Gender Parity Task Force, a World Economic Forum initiative that aims to close the economic gender gap in Mexico by 10% in the next three years. He spoke to us about why it is so important to close the gap, and what the task force has achieved since it was launched in 2012. This is an edited transcript of the interview.

What are the biggest obstacles to gender equality in Mexico?

Mexico is pretty much mid-table in the Global Gender Gap Report, which points to still significant obstacles. One traditional obstacle has been that a lot of business leaders, and even those in the public sector, haven’t appreciated the business case for gender equality: the fact that the exclusion of female talent in business is something that makes absolutely no economic or business sense.

The other issue has been this notion that the business community cannot play a role, thinking this is a problem for the government to address. That’s why the task force has a core strength in terms of being a public-private partnership, raising awareness on the business case for gender equality, which has been very well-documented elsewhere.

What steps has the task force taken to close the gender gap?

We set ourselves four tasks. One was to increase the number of women in senior management positions in major corporations in Mexico. The second was to increase the number of female participants on boards.

The third one, which takes more effort but also brings greater results, is trying to build within companies an environment that facilitates the closure of the gender gap. So, flexible working hours, day care for children, mentorship for women, role models.

The fourth thing that we wanted to tackle was to enable and empower women at the base of the pyramid – the poorest socioeconomic group – through economic opportunity, so that they can play a bigger role in their households and communities. So anything that has to do with access to financial services and particularly access to working capital for their businesses is key.

How do you go about getting more women on boards of directors?

It’s a lot about raising awareness and reminding business people that there is an economic case to be made for gender equity. We’ve worked with a few business media companies.

There clearly is a case to be made for providing role models. Angelica [Fuentes, chief executive of Omnilife and co-chair of the task force] is one of the major role models of women on boards and women in senior management who are successful and highly visible.

What steps have worked best?

The thing that has worked the best has been raising awareness. With the help and backing of the World Economic Forum, the task force has been able to convene the leaders of 45 top companies in Mexico and raise awareness. The thing that needs to work better is how we engage major public figures in government to present a stronger message.

What has been the most difficult to implement?

Anything that has to do with cooperation. We’ve had very strong cooperation with the World Economic Forum and also some areas of government, but achieving greater awareness in higher levels of government has been a struggle. As well as the fact that we are always competing for attention from business leaders. There are many issues on their agenda, so getting their time and their attention on this issue is always a struggle.

What are the next steps in narrowing the gender gap?

The next steps this year are to drill down and talk to, not only the CEOs and the business leaders, but also the heads of HR of those companies, who have it within their mandate to implement a lot of these tools and policies that have an actual impact on gender equity. We’ve developed a toolkit that we’ve made available; we need to work with them on the implementation of that toolkit so that it is easier to create an environment that promotes gender equity, and to increase the participation of women in senior management or on boards.

We will also be having high-level meetings at the World Economic Forum on Latin America, which is taking place in Mexico this year. It will give us the chance to make sure there is awareness of the business case for gender equity.

Why is it so important to narrow the gender gap?

The main reason for us is principle. We believe that every person, regardless of their gender, deserves equal opportunity in any area, not just economic, but also political, educational, social. So it is an issue of inclusion.

When one becomes a bit more practical about it, there is also a business case to be made for any country or any company. If you’re only using the talent of half of the population, you really are missing out on the creation of a lot of value that comes from full inclusion of men and women in economic issues.

To what extent are the challenges the same across Latin America?

There are some common threads and issues but there are also specific issues in every country that revolve around regulation and culture; it’s a highly context-sensitive issue. That’s why it makes sense to have individual country task forces to look at where the issues are in each of these countries.

In some ways Latin America stands out for having two very high-profile female heads of state. What do you think that stems from?

I think it sends the right kind of message in terms of role models. But we not only need those role models but we need role models that are closer to everyday people. So not just presidents or heads of large companies, but more familiar faces in business, or education, or politics, that young women and girls can relate to.

To what extent have things improved in the region in terms of closing the gender gap over the past 10 years?

I think they have improved. But while we are moving in the right direction we are not moving fast enough. So anything we can do to make this process faster needs to be done.

How do you think things will change over the next 10 years?

I’m optimistic. Because we’re now measuring the issue and we are able to implement tools and policies that move these goals forward, over the next 10 years we should continue to see improvements.

Reporting by Josephine Moulds for the World Economic Forum

Image: Passengers wait at a subway station in Mexico City. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido