We are gathered here at the Women’s Forum discussing issues that impact women in business, education, society and politics. Why is there never a case for non-diversity? As women, we network and participate in forums to find ways to improve our position in society. Thousands of research and studies have been done on the impact of either having a low or a high percentage of women in a company. Today, McKinsey came out with a study called “Women Matter” (despite the English title, the report is in French, here in PDF). As Laura Liswood appropriately said in today’s panel on Women and Competitiveness, there is no “Do Men Matter” research.

Will we ever get to the point when women don’t have to fight the business case for diversity? Will it ever become a given that women and men are equal but different and that they complement each other? Will it ever be OK for a man to participate in a flexibility program without being seen as not ambitious? Will the percentage of women who have children and have a position in boards increase over time?

The Women’s Forum is a perfect place to debate all of this topics. For sure, there will be no right answer to any of this questions and the next generations of women will be responsible to carry on the torch and hopefully, they won’t have to fight the business case for diversity.

Posted by Margit - October 11, 2007
filled in Session Focus |