For 46 years every March 8 marks International Women’s Day, established by the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization (UN). At the labor level there were advances, many, but there are still some challenges. The pay gapfor example, is a concrete expression of the Differences between men and women. Leadership and diversity, on the other hand, are placed on the side of achievements, according to the four executives consulted by Clarín.

“It has been proven that companies that have greater diversity in their teams perform better than those that do not. Beyond the ephemeris, build more diverse and inclusive workspaces it is an everyday job that contributes to organizations not only more profitable but fairer”, said Samanta Queipo, Head of Organizational Culture at Grupo Gestión.

Since that women’s strike in 1908 in a factory in New York, United States, where 129 women died for demanding a reduction in the working day, the same salary for the same tasks without distinction of gender and better working conditions, 115 years have passed. history, they achieved many achievements, but certain challenges remain.

What is the current situation of women in the labor market?

In some cases a gender division of labor still persists, which is evidenced in sectors where men predominate and others where women are the clear majority. According to official reports, the women are overrepresented in sectors related to care and reproduction tasks (domestic service, education and social and health services), while construction, transportation and communications, and the manufacturing industry are mostly masculinized.

However, there are concrete changes in organizations in line with achieving greater diversity in the world of work. According to a survey carried out by Grupo Gestión and CIO Investigación between more than 60 large, medium and small firms in Argentinait was found that currently Work experience is the element of the CV most valued by companiesfollowed by the level of studies achieved and the trajectory of the person in each position and that, both gender and age moved to the bottom of the list within the aspects considered.

Leadership: Greater diversity equals better results

The participation of women in leadership positions has grown in recent yearsboth in the public and private spheres. However, according to INDEC data, the percentage of men in management and leadership positions is 75% higher to that of women.

Global studies show the positive impact generated by greater diversity and inclusion, and greater financial performance and innovation. According to a survey by the Labor Organization (ILO) of nearly 13,000 companies from 70 countries, 57% stated that “initiatives to promote gender equality they had contributed to improve their business results.

Along the same lines, an investigation by the McKinsey consultancy in 15 countries showed that those organizations with gender diversity in their executive teams “are 21% more likely to experience outperformance”.

Finally, a study by the Boston Consulting Group indicated that “companies with above-average diversity in their management teams earned 19% revenue from innovation higher than those of companies with below-average diversity in leadership positions.”

“According to the report launched by the Argentine Fintech Chamber in 2022, the participation of women in the sector improved by 5%. In Getnet 50% of our talents are women. In addition, our management team is made up of 38% women. The road has just begun and we know that there is much more to do in order to promote gender equality in organizations” says Julia Vargas, Head of People & Transformation at Getnet, Grupo Santander’s Fintech:

Four stories: women, leaders

With the excuse of 8M, Clarín put together a kind of virtual round table in which he consulted business leaders about the difficulties and challenges that women continue to face in reaching management positions.

Romina Ruffino, Head of Culture and Internal Communication at Naranja X

When you build a family support network, friends, of people who collaborate with the upbringing of your sons and daughters, when you accept that you can’t alone, when you trust your work teams, when you embrace a new way of personifying the roles of your life, the story takes on another color.

“The pandemic helped challenge paradigms and ways of working, leading teams from a distance, building networks and relationships of trust even without seeing each other frequentlyto choose from which physical place to deliver value”, said Ruffino. And, in that sense, he added: “Today we are focusing on committing ourselves to a cause, with a purpose, to evolve and incorporate new ways of being and doing”.

The present and undoubtedly the future, invites us to broaden our gazeto unlearn models, to share more time with people different from oneself, to incorporate knowledge, to deepen our empathy, to think about the sustainability of our actions and as leaders to build safe spaces for new generations

Paula Altavilla, CEO of Schneider Electric

In my first months of corporate experience, I witnessed the appointment of the first woman that he had access to the local directory of a company and at that time it was an extraordinary event. Fortunately, today seeing women in leadership positions is a fact that is increasingly visible in different sectors, especially in organizations.

In the last 30 years, there has been a great acceptance and awareness by all the actors in society regarding the role that women should occupy in decision-making spaces.

Looking to the future, we need to continue to be aware of our own biases and encourage diversity in all its forms. For this reason, at Schneider we are committed to ensuring that 50% of hires must be women, and globally, we have a goal that 40% of managers and 30% of senior management positions are occupied by women by 2025.

Verónica Ramos Executive Director of Ecoplas

Since my beginnings at Ecoplas, an organization specializing in plastics and the environment for a circular economy, It is the first time that the executive management position is held by a woman.

In a path of construction and learning, the representatives of the plastics industry understood that a professional who had already been working at Ecoplas for many years, could bring to the fore the challenges of this institution that nucleates the value chain.

Women we are adding to find opportunities for sustainable development,which benefits all society.

In these 20 years of experience that I have in the plastics and environment sector, I have encountered many difficulties and challenges. I am gratified to learn from everyone around me and to be able articulate with my family life, to find the balance and feel happy every day.

Hanna Schiuma, CGO of Callao

I understand that the main difficulties and challenges, but above all difficulties that women have to reach the famous “glass ceiling” or “glass wall” is equal opportunity. I am referring to access to education and information tools that help us exercise roles of power.

In addition, women having a different work and personal load when taking care of their children have less time available to access the network, something that I consider essential for labor relations. Men, having less domestic burden, can strengthen ties and where they generate them. That is changing with today’s generation, but there is still a long way to go.

My current role as CGO in a company like Callao that is growing a lotI carry it with a very active listening, I do not take anything for granted. Management today is very different from before. I try to think of myself as a facilitator in different areas.

The biggest stumbling block remains to reconcile personal life with work life, the important thing is that a woman feels that she has containment to be able to have those extra-work spaces such as being able to strengthen ties. Family and personal support networkr is essential to be able to have time for work.

The main difficulty is that decision-making exposure continues to be mostly male. We still have to integrate, we have to be recognized as active voices and role models. There is a long way to go before we become a reference, we need more volume.

The truth is that we are advancing steadily and that There are strong women in every industry.. We have to keep raising our voices, it’s a question of power, not just gender. We have to make friends with power, which is neither good nor bad, but rather It is a tool to achieve goals.