05 November 21

How can we make Ireland a fairer and more balanced country?

Balance for Better Business was pleased to take part in the recent Irish Times supplement Equality, Diversity & Inclusion exploring how we can make Ireland a fairer and more balanced country in which to live and work.

The supplement explored the challenges for Ireland as an economy and as a society, the obstacles presented by Covid-19 to equality, diversity and inclusion and the opportunities it has offered for all of us to change for the better.

Speaking to the Irish Times, Balance for Better Business co-chair Julie Sinnamon said, “One of the positives of coming out of this pandemic is that a lot more men have been much more involved in family life than they might previously have been.

“Though a higher proportion of childcare and eldercare still falls to women, equally I’ve spoken to lots of men who are saying ‘I’m not going back to how it was’. I’m a strong believer in the need for a balance of responsibilities within the family and there is now the potential for a societal rebalancing which should facilitate families.”

Balance for Better Business plays a key role in striving for gender balance in the workplace, ensuring more women play a role at board level and in senior leadership teams in companies and organisations in Ireland. Aongus Hegarty, president of international markets at Dell Technologies and co-chair of Balance for Better Business explained, “It’s about changing behaviour and culture at the highest level of organisations from the CEO and chairman through the leadership teams.”

“In the three years since we began, publicly listed companies have increased women on their boards from 18-30 per cent,” he adds. “We have moved from eight percentage points below the European average to one percentage point below the European average. We still need to double our efforts to increase the number of women on boards and in senior leadership positions.”

Read the full supplement here: Special Reports | The Irish Times