3 Vital Steps to a New Gender Equality Playbook
Part of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting
We launched the “Women at Work: Myth vs. Reality” installation on the promenade of Davos last January. For four days, leaders from around the world stepped into the installation and immersed themselves in the myths and realities of women at work. For many, it was a powerful moment as they recognized that myths they had accepted as truth were not based on reality, but were affecting reality every day.
The year 2018 represented the dichotomy of our time. Women’s voices were louder than ever on topics of health, wealth, harassment and the right to lead. Men, too, found new voices – from the extraordinary public- and private-sector leaders who stood in solidarity with women, to those who countered the #MeToo movement with chants of #HimToo and declarations that they will no longer mentor or meet with women.
In the midst of this public discord, progress for women has stalled and, in some cases, has gone backwards. There are fewer women in Fortune 500 CEO rolesthan a year ago. Women continue to be paid less than men – nearly half as much on a global basis – and men’s income is rising faster than women’s, according to the 2017 World Economic Forum's Gender Gap Report.
