While gender equality is improving in higher education institutions, professions and industry, globally women are still in the minority amongst CEOs, board and executive members of major companies, professors and political leaders. The Transforming Women’s Leadership Pathways program exists to deliver recommendations, resources and advocacy, to transform the pathways to leadership for all genders, to ensure the profile of executive leadership across 10 major sectors is inclusive and sustainable, to see the leadership gender gap close by 2030.
The Transforming Women’s Leadership Pathways program is an initiative of the PLuS Alliance (Arizona State University, King’s College London and UNSW Sydney) and is a foundational event in our joint work towards gender equity in leadership. This program brings together and builds on the inspiring work that has come before it.
WHY NOW?
The #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements have shone a spotlight on the social, reputational and economic costs of ignoring injustice. If we were ever in doubt of the importance of diversity and inclusion, not just to economic prosperity but also to the very fabric of our society, that has been dispelled by these global movements. Countries cannot thrive without the inclusion of all women. We must expand the pathway to see more gender diverse women, more women of colour, more women with disability, and more LGBTIQ+ women reach senior leadership. It is crucial that we are in the room.
The gendered impact of COVID-19 has wiped out much of the progress that had been made. COVID-19 has changed the way we work globally. We must overcome the barriers, and leverage the opportunities that will accelerate the pathways for women getting to the top.
The time is now. We must step up and strengthen the current pathways and forge new ones where needed, to ensure future generations benefit from women in leadership. We can’t afford to wait.
WHY US?
As an alliance of universities with a commitment to gender equity and equality, we recognise the strength of combining our research institutions to contribute to this challenge with evidence-based solutions.
