Promoting gender equality through responsible business conduct: the role of business

Achieving gender equality and women’s economic empowerment requires systematic, proactive and transformative change in a range of institutions and areas of action. Women face multifold barriers and gender-based discrimination throughout the employment cycle due to inequalities, legal impediments, cultural mindsets and stereotypes. Governments, employer and business membership organizations (EBMOs) and workers’ organizations, as well as enterprises have a critical role to play in helping to eliminate these discriminatory practices.

This brief explores what businesses can do to promote women’s economic empowerment at work. It complements the first brief in this series, which focuses on the role of governments and social partners in creating more inclusive and equitable workplaces, independently and jointly through social dialogue.