Kepsa policy to enhance workplace gender inclusivity
Mucha Mlingo, the chairperson of the Gender Sector Board at Kepsa, says the policy formulation is a demonstration of the private sector’s commitment to ensuring gender mainstreaming is integral to the policies and operations of an organisation.
What you need to know:
- Kepsa will soon require its members to adopt policies that enhance gender inclusivity in the workplace.
- The blueprint seeks to have companies support women and other marginalised groups in the workforce, business and leadership.
- Companies will also be required to implement gender responsive budgeting and resource mobilisation.
The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (Kepsa) will soon require its members to adopt policies that enhance gender inclusivity in the workplace.
The organisation has come up with the Private Sector Gender Mainstreaming policy that will guide organisations on gender equality. It will be launched next month.
Speaking during a virtual media sensitisation forum on Wednesday, Mucha Mlingo, the chairperson of the Gender Sector Board at Kepsa said the policy formulation is a demonstration of the private sector’s commitment to ensuring gender mainstreaming is integral to the policies and operations of an organisation.
Ms Mlingo said the blueprint seeks to have companies support women and other marginalised groups in the workforce, business and leadership.
“The private sector companies should strive to foster diversity and inclusion across all levels to promote the transformation of corporate and business culture,” Ms Mlingo said.
Companies that are Kepsa members, will be tasked to embrace stand-alone gender responsive policies to ensure systematic implementation including well-established targets and means of measurements.
“The policy also requires private companies to prevent gender-based violence (GBV) and harassment at the workplace by adopting an anti-GBV and sexual harassment policy,” she said.
Resource mobilisation
Companies will also be required to implement gender responsive budgeting and resource mobilisation.
Ms Mulingo, however, noted that Kenya has improved in terms of gender diversity in boards, compared to other countries in the continent, though the country can do better.
Kepsa vice-chairperson of the Gender Sector Board Mercy Okiro, said the policy will be the umbrella guide against SGBV in the workplace.
“We will also be seeking to show companies how gender mainstreaming will make business sense to them,” she said.
James Ngomeli, the sub-sector lead at the Gender Sector Board, said most middle-level management teams do not sit on boards, a thing that needs to change.
A report by the National Gender and Equality Commission on the Status of Equality and Inclusion in Kenya, carried out in 2016, showed the employment to population ratio for females is lower than that of males for all age groups above 15 years.
The study also indicated that men tend to outnumber women by between two to five times in the sectors/industries deemed to be more lucrative, such as manufacturing and professional, scientific and technical activities.
Another 2014 survey by Gullup Business Benefits of Gender Diversity suggested that gender-diverse teams perform better.
A key finding of the study noted that gender-diverse and engaged business units outperform those that are less diverse and less engaged.
The report found that men and women have different viewpoints, ideas, and market insights, which enables better problem solving, ultimately leading to superior business performance.
Global economy
It also indicated that a gender-diverse workforce allows the company to serve an increasingly diverse customer base. The study opined that companies cannot afford to ignore 50 per cent of the potential workforce and expect to be competitive in the global economy.
According to the 2021 Board Diversity and Inclusion Survey released last year, Kenya’s gender diversity in the boardroom now stands at 36 per cent, a significant progress from 21 per cent in 2017.
The current global average of women holding board positions stands at 23.3 per cent up from 20.4 per cent in 2018.
The report undertaken by the Kenya Institute of Management (KIM) in partnership with Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), New Faces New Voices (NFNV) and the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (Kepsa) added that women constitute 21 per cent of the appointed board chairperson’s whereas the global average is three per cent.
Female representation in C-suite roles in Kenya constitutes 37 per cent compared to 21 per cent globally with the average age of Kenyan board members now standing at 47.6 years down from 55.8 years in 2017.
Kepsa has more than 500,000 members from private sector associations and corporate bodies in all sectors of the economy.
