Practitioners’ Roundtable: A Gender Equal Future of Work

Shael Roopchand, Director at Avasant sat at the Practitioners’ Roundtable where she engaged in conversations around harnessing opportunity amid disruption to intentionally challenge and transform the structures that perpetuate gender inequality. Unprecedented changes are impacting the work environment including technological advances, social and demographic shifts, new patterns of globalization, post-pandemic recovery, and climate change. In a rapidly changing economy, without decisive and urgent action, there is a risk of further replicating or exacerbating disadvantage for future generations of women. Furthermore, these trends are disrupting traditional models of work and learning, as well as the nature of jobs and the composition of workforces. However, there is an opportunity to harness the disruption underway to intentionally challenge and transform the structures that perpetuate gender inequality. Many of the strategies that have delivered results in the past, such as target setting and supporting employees with caring responsibilities, will continue to be relevant in the future. However, new challenges, such as technological advancement and climate change require fresh approaches. Business leaders around the world are already recognizing gender equality as a critical business issue and taking a variety of actions to advance progress.