How an International Organization Paying Attention on

Gender Inequality Issues

Created by:
Salma Amalia Nur Kusuma 1631500442

Budi Luhur University

2018
 Gender inequality or also known as gender stratification, is the unequal distribution of
a society’s wealth, power, and privilege between females and males. Discrimination based on
gender has become rampant in the world with the most incidences being experienced at the
workplaces. In the workplace, the human resource practices do enact harmful gender
inequalities through policies, and decision-making processes. Such as practices affect hiring,
pay, promotion and training of women and men in the labor market. They promote the notion
that women and men are not equal. The unequal treatment of persons due to the socially
constructed norms and myths has affected workplace operations.

Stated by The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia, in term of pay,
gender inequality or sex discrimination arises where every dollar earned by a man, a women
earns less by 33 cents on the same job. Gender discriminatory pay sprouts from structural
imbalances aligned to gender segregation by departments, networks, and job ladders.
Overrepresentation of the female gender on some sections makes that sector a lower status
area. However, the low educational status of the female gender plays a major role in forming
the basis for discrimination by employers. Society has framed women as the weaker gender.
As a child is born, his/her life is directed from the colors to ascribe to, how to behave as one
belonging to a certain gender and the roles to play. The traditional mentalities still evolve
within workplaces despite women making strides in attaining equal qualifications. In
addition, an organization’s corporate culture does affect the equity and equality of employees.
Some places create a hostile culture that only the males can survive intimidating the women.
 Gender inequality has detrimental effects on society, the economy and human
development. A favorable climate for diversity sets in with fair treatment of every person
regardless of the socially ascribed roles based on one’s sex. Equality in the workplace is
essential to prevent the occurrence of abuse like sexual harassment, underpayment, and
bribery. Strict setting and enforcement of rules that uphold gender equality in an organization
especially the human resource section should be mandatory.

While gender inequalities have diminished in some aspects of life, they remain deeply
rooted in others. The vast majority of women around the world do not enjoy equality in
economic participation, physical security, access to land, and financial resources or earnings.
Closing gender gaps requires policy interventions that enhance women's economic
opportunities and outcomes.

If we talk about the facts of gender inequality, there are a lot of stories and proof. That
is why, nowadays a lot of actors that trying to promote a campaign in order to support gender
equality and women empowerment. Some organizations has done plenty campaign in order to
empowering the general public to show up and supporting the issues. Like IMF if we talk
about international organization. Or maybe Coca Cola as the representative of Multi-National
Company that has been supporting the public to increasing their awareness of gender
inequality. There are a lot of example but we will talk specifically about how these two
organization has done to contribute on gender inequality issues.
 How can IMF, a monetary fund, that looks does not have any correlation into this
issues can gave a contribution? What did they done? What is IMF actually?

IMF or International Monetary Fund also known as the Fund, was conceived at a UN
conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, United States, in July 1944. The 44 countries
at that conference sought to build a framework for economic cooperation to avoid a repetition
of the competitive devaluations that had contributed to the Great Depression of the 1930s.

The IMF's responsibilities: The IMF's primary purpose is to ensure the stability of the
international monetary system—the system of exchange rates and international payments that
enables countries (and their citizens) to transact with each other. The Fund's mandate was
updated in 2012 to include all macroeconomic and financial sector issues that bear on global
stability. The IMF’s fundamental mission is to ensure the stability of the international
monetary system. It does so in three ways: keeping track of the global economy and the
economies of member countries; lending to countries with balance of payments difficulties;
and giving practical help to members.

Recent research from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recognizes that
macroeconomic policies can help to redress gender inequalities by creating more fiscal space
for key public investments in infrastructure, education and health. Such investments reduce
the time women spend on domestic chores and caring for their families, giving them more
opportunities to engage in paid work. For women home-based workers, who produce goods
and services from their own homes, basic infrastructure services make their homes more
productive workplaces. The Fund is increasingly interested in gender inequality and the
negative impacts this can have on income inequality, economic efficiency and growth
(Elborgh-Woytek, et al. 2013, Gonzales, et al. 2015a).
 That is one of the reason why IMF decided to jump in this issues. Besides helping
girls and women in order to fight for their rights, supporting gender equality proved that it
also can help a state’s economic growth. How?

First, one of the important factors that supporting a nation’s economic growth is its
GDP or gross domestic products. Gross domestic product, or GDP, is one of the primary
indicators that economists use to measure the health of a country’s economy.  Gross domestic
product represents the total market value of all the final goods and services produced in a
country over a given period of time. The two primary methods for calculating GDP are the
income approach, or the sum of what everyone earned, and the expenditure approach, or the
sum of what everyone spent. Gaps in gender employment and earnings will decrease the
bargaining power of women at home, which may lead to lower investments in children’s
education and health. At the same time, gaps related to access to productive inputs constitute
a distortion in the allocation of resources, which in turn reduces aggregate current
productivity as well as investment in new technologies. Meanwhile one of the factors that
help gross domestic product itself increasing was through a nation’s buying power.

According to the IMF, closing the gender gap in the labor market would raise the
GDP of the USA by 5 per cent, the UAE by 12 per cent, and Japan by 9 per cent and Egypt
by 34 per cent. Using Trading Economics figures for 2013, calculated that this means gender
equality is worth $784.2bn for the US, $536bn for Japan, $43.2bn for the UAE and $96.2bn
for Egypt. IMF also estimates that 853m women worldwide have the potential to contribute
more to their economies, and 812m of these live in developing countries. In wealthier
countries, more women in work can offset some of the negative effects caused by an ageing
and shrinking workforce.

In order to supporting one of these sustainable development goals, IMF has done
some activities. One of them is #IMFGender. In February 2016, the IMF launched an online
campaign for innovative women to share their stories under the hashtag #IMFGender. The
stories we received were powerful and inspirational. Women are using every tool possible to
advance and lift-up their communities.

If you searched #IMFGender on Twitter, you can see a lot of people that shared their
stories which so wonderful. They are sharing their experiences and knowledges for each
other. In order to empower more girls and women. From their stories we can see how hard
struggle they have faced and how to consolidate. It helps a lot of people. This campaign let
the world know especially for girls and women that a lot of people also experienced the same
things like them. And when they were feeling like they have a similarities on each other, they
will try to strengthen each other. This kind of campaign will let them know that that is okay
to speak up and demanding their right, for example, demanding having a fair pays when a
man and women were literally doing the same job.

Encouraging girls and women like this is very important. By this campaign, they will
know that there are a lot of people that would support and help them. When they feel like
they have get encouraged they will not feeling doubt to demanding some rights that should be
theirs.

Bringing more women into work creates a positive cycle: as today’s UN report points
out, poverty often hits women hardest. In the world’s poorest countries, women are more
likely to die in childbirth, for instance, and are disproportionately affected by the grind of
unpaid, physical domestic chores like food production and collecting water.

Across many countries, single mothers are among the poorest sector of society.
Poverty is a both a cause and a consequence of inequality. Both globally and within
countries, the gap between rich and poor is widening - more than half of the gains in global
income since 1988 went to the richest 5 per cent- a fact that will have an outsize impact on
women.
 Perhaps this is one of the reasons why IMF decided to make a campaign that looking
at gender inequality cases. Because there is some opportunities to become a better country by
fights for girls and women rights.

Despite significant progress in recent decades, labor markets across the world remain
divided along gender lines. Female labor force participation has remained lower than male
participation, gender wage gaps are high, and women are overrepresented in the informal
sector and among the poor. In many countries, legal restrictions persist which constrain
women from developing their full economic potential.

While equality between men and women is in itself an important development goal,
women's economic participation is also a part of the growth and stability equation. In rapidly
aging economies, higher female labor force participation can boost growth by mitigating the
impact of a shrinking workforce. Better opportunities for women can also contribute to
broader economic development in developing economies, for instance through higher levels
of school enrollment for girls.

And moving on to the role or contribution of Multi-National Company, we have one example
actor that has been supporting against gender inequality. Muhtar Kent, CEO of Coca Cola.
He is often found while talking about gender equality. Even he admitted that he is a feminist.

When he is being asked on why he is a feminist? He said that working to foster gender
equality is the right thing to do. As a more practical matter, it is also good for business and
for economic and social progress around the world. He admitted and see that supporting this
one of the 16 goals of sustainable development growth will help the progress on economic
sector.

Globally, he thinks that they need to accelerate progress toward women’s equality and
economic empowerment. Not only because it is the right thing to do but also because the
progress they make—together—will improve the lives of millions of women and their
families, communities and nations. On a practical level, opening up opportunities to women
has the power to accelerate growth and enhance the future outlook for individual businesses,
nonprofits and public sector organizations. As a business leader, he knows his company can’t
reach its full potential unless we recruit, hire, develop and retain women associates as part of
a diverse, multicultural workforce.
'Over and over, studies have found a direct correlation between women’s empowerment and
GDP growth, business growth, environmental sustainability, improved human health, and
other positive impacts. And this is no surprise, given that women invest 90 percent of their
earnings in their families and communities.'

And you don’t need academic studies to see why. You just need the simple logic that would
tell you any organization is setting itself up for failure if it isn’t welcoming the experience
and expertise of half the world’s people.

At Coca-Cola, they have been on a journey to attract and retain more women employees and
leaders. For them, this is particularly important because women make up a disproportionate
share of the people who buy our beverages. They’ve made progress in recent years, but they
are not at all satisfied. They know they can do more. And we are working on multiple fronts
to do so.

Just one example. For 2017, we’ll be offering moms (and dads) in the United States more
paid time off when a child is born or adopted. New parents will benefit, and our business will
benefit by helping them build a stronger workforce for years to come.

Communities and nations also come out ahead when women have more opportunities.

Already, women represent the fastest-growing, most dynamic economic force in the world.
Women now control more than $20 trillion in global spending. That means women have an
economic impact 50 percent larger than that of the United States and more than twice the size
of China and India’s economies combined. In the United States, women-owned businesses
now account for nearly $3 trillion of the gross domestic product. In fact, if American women
were measured as a separate country, they would represent the fifth-largest economy in the
world.
Coca-Cola is working with other businesses and public agencies to help create more
opportunities for women entrepreneurs through 5 by 20, a global initiative to help empower 5
million women businesspeople over the course of this decade.

Globally, by the end of 2015, they had provided 1.2 million women entrepreneurs with
improved access to training, mentorships and business loans. And they will keep scaling up
the best approaches on our way to reaching 5 million women worldwide by 2020.

The reason why I put Muhtar Kent as one of the example is here was because his act, his
decision, can influence a lot of public interest to do the same thing. If we ask random people
on the street, the probability of their awareness of Coca Cola product might be close one
hundred percent. And if a big company like Coca Cola can do a supporting system like this, it
would make the general public knows how important this issues are. As I have explained
above about the correlation this issues which is count as political issues, into the economical
sides. It would help a lot if the community aware of this.

At a personal level, I’ve learned some of the most valuable lessons. I would
encourage any men who may think they don’t have a real and abiding stake in women’s
empowerment to consider the kind of world they want for their female relatives, friends and
colleagues. Men, do not we want the women and girls we know and respect to have every
opportunity to learn, grow and succeed? If our answer is yes, we should make our voices
heard in advocating for women’s equality and economic empowerment. In other words, we
too need to become feminists. This will result in a better world for all of us.