Ladies are extra engaged with the ESG agenda

A study recently published by MindMiners in partnership with Google reveals that women are more engaged with the ESG agenda. Among the female professionals interviewed, 61% were considered “very engaged” with the theme, compared to 39% of men. On the other hand, the male profile is higher among people “in development” (60%) and “disconnected” (81%) from the subject.

The research also highlights that professionals over 45 years old, from classes A and B and from the Southeast region are among the most engaged profiles with the theme. Since women are more sensitive to the subject, other data confirm that their presence in senior management positions influences better ESG indicators for companies.

A study conducted by Master in Management for Competitiveness Monique Cardoso, from Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV), proves that in Brazilian companies with high ESG performance, 72% have one or more women on their boards of directors and 52% have female directors. Even with the prospect of positive consequences, only 11.5% of publicly traded national companies have women on their boards, according to the 2021 Brazil Board Index, carried out by Spencer Stuart.

DISCRIMINATION AND ESG PERFORMANCE

After a conversation with the executives, Monique Cardoso highlights three common points that appeared in the speeches of women who work in companies with high ESG performance. First, they “value the need to always be learning”. Second, they need to prove themselves more and constantly position themselves in these top management spaces. Finally, they emphasize the fact of being mothers as one of their best qualities, contradicting the historical belief that motherhood would be an obstacle to a professional career.

Monique also highlights that high-performing ESG companies have a proactive discourse on the topic, compared to the reactive posture of those who report worse results, as their concerns revolve around market and reputation risks. The master highlights the differences between female professionals who work in companies with high and low ESG and reveals that, although both suffer from machismo, they identify and react in different ways.

“The female leadership of companies with high ESG is made up of women who value themselves and command respect, although they suffer, like those with low ESG, constant episodes of gender discrimination. […] In the case of female leadership in companies with low ESG, there is ambiguity in the perception of prejudice, because, while the interviewees say that they do not feel questioned for being women, they say that men do not let them speak in meetings and, in a way, they exempt them from responsibility because this would be a cultural issue”, he says.

From this context, women not only think and develop actions related to the ESG agenda, but they also need to be placed at the center of these discussions. In her conclusion of the survey, Monique suggests that the diversity or number of women on boards of directors or in management positions should be incorporated into the score given to companies in ESG analysis methodologies. “As pressure increases on the topic, the chance increases to reduce the barriers faced by women executives in exercising their leadership”, she adds.

WOMEN AND CLIMATE CHANGE

According to the report “The Gender Dimension in the Big Push for Sustainability in Brazil”, women are the most vulnerable group in terms of monetary poverty, time poverty, overload of unpaid work and care and precarious insertion in the market. of work. Given these structural inequalities, they are also more susceptible to suffering from climate change compared to men. “Many women are already at their physical, psychological and emotional limits. And, they have fewer tools and income to face the impacts of climate change”, describes the study carried out by UN Women Brazil.

In addition to dedicating twice as much time to care work and household chores, women earn 21.3% less than men. When the racial background is added, black professionals earn 55.6% less than white men. In this way, they have fewer resources to face the consequences of climate change, given the gaps in wages, jobs, access to public goods and services, representation and rights.

The report concludes that actions to tackle the climate crisis are of extreme importance and urgency, as they also influence the reduction of gender inequalities. “Women can benefit from sustainable investments in strategic areas for a transformative recovery with environmental sustainability and gender equality. Investments in areas such as renewable energy, sustainable agricultural production, sustainable urban mobility, among others, can create employment and income opportunities for women, if combined with adequate policies for entering the labor market, contributing to their economic autonomy. Furthermore, investments in care infrastructure can not only prepare society to face extreme weather events, but also contribute to freeing up women’s time in order to reduce time poverty.

Source: Medium and message