Urgent Need For Gender Parity In Workplaces Across The Globe

There is an urgent need for gender parity in workplaces across the globe. Although women’s representation in the overall workforce has increased dramatically over the past few years, yet a lot of ground remains to be covered. Women remain to be grossly under-represented in leadership roles.

Globally, women form less than one third of all leadership roles. Although women in EMEA and LATAM constitute more than 40 percent of all entry level positions, yet their numbers dwindle as they move up the seniority ladder.

The highest numbers of women in leadership come from France (34%) and Sweden (37%). On the contrary, United Arab Emirates (20%), Germany (23%) and the Netherlands (26%) are lagging behind the average.

It still remains exasperating to see women being underrepresented in leadership positions even after witnessing the stark benefits of having more women leader.

We are however hopeful that the global corporate world will course correct and welcome more women in leadership roles.

Till then it is imperative that we highlight the success stories of women leaders who have successfully overcome the gender hurdle at work.

In the current edition of Global Women Leader magazine, we read about Sigrid Beckmann, Co/Founder of Kookay ArtCrafts. With over 30 years of experience in design, communications, and entrepreneurship, Sigrid Beckmann is passionate about creating positive social and environmental impact through education, sports and art. At Kóokay, she applies her expertise in graphic design, History of Art, strategy, and marketing to create unique and functional pieces that reflect the magic and culture of Mexico, while empowering and helping local craftspeople, mostly women, to become an independent workforce and build up their communities.

We also feature an interaction with Simran Singh, MD, Ferrero. Simran completed her bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology, Genetics, and Biochemistry from Bangalore University. She pursued further studies in Immunology & Immunogenetics at the University of Manchester and earned her PhD in Liver Immunology from University College London. Simran moved to A*STAR in Singapore to pursue biomedical research on liver cancer after finishing her PhD. She later joined Ferrero, which propelled her into roles in open innovation, project management, strategy, and ultimately, leadership of the company's innovation center in Singapore.

Read more about these inspirational women and their success story.