The Covid-19 epidemic had negative consequences on the professional situation of women in 2020, who had to take more care of children, despite progress in some countries or companies, according to an annual report by Equileap published on Thursday 4 March.
Read also: Mental load, effects on health ... teleworking widens inequalities between genders, and between women
"The Covid-19 has had massive and disproportionate consequences on women across the planet"
, according to this specialized firm which collects data on more than 3,700 companies with a capitalization of more than two billion dollars in 23 developed countries.
"We have seen an increase in domestic violence, the closure of many childcare establishments, while women have continued to assume most of the responsibilities related to child rearing and housework,"
d ' after Equileap.
Often when it comes to caring for children, it falls on women, and not only in the United States but also in Europe, where we can expect similar numbers.
"
Diana van Maasdijk, CEO of Equileap
As a result, one in four women in the United States have considered lowering their professional ambitions or no longer working, according to a McKinsey study cited by the firm.
"Often when it comes to caring for children, it falls on women, and not only in the United States but also in Europe, where we can expect similar figures"
, told AFP Diana van Maasdijk, the CEO of Equileap.
The United Kingdom, for its part, has temporarily waived the obligation for large companies to publish the pay differentials between women and men, under the pretext of difficulties encountered by companies in the face of the pandemic.
Conversely, Spain passed a law obliging companies to take an interest in gender equality, allowing this country to rise to second place behind France and ahead of Sweden, in the ranking made by Equileap.
Read also: Professional equality, a priority for French employees
And in a number of companies and investment funds, gender equality has continued to be better taken into account despite the crisis, says Diana van Maasdijk.
“There has been a surge in interest in sustainable investments, and within this framework, we see a growing interest in gender equality issues
,
”
according to the president of Equileap.
She cites the Japanese pension fund (GPIF) which places more money in companies that rank high in terms of gender equality than in others.
The companies best rated by Equileap are the Norwegian bank DNB and the Australian real estate group Mirvac.
British advertiser WPP and French cosmetics giant L'Oréal follow, which are just ahead of American carmaker General Motors, led by Mary Barra.
