Women's Empowerment Principles

Principle 1: Establish high-level corporate leadership for gender equality

Leadership Promotes Gender Equality

• Affirm high-level support and direct top-level policies for gender equality and human rights
• Establish company-wide goals and targets for gender equality and include progress as a factor in managers’ performance reviews
• Engage internal and external stakeholders in the development of company policies, programmes and implementation plans that advance equality
• Ensure that all policies are gender-sensitive – identifying factors that impact women and men differently – and that corporate culture advances equality and inclusion

Principle 2: Treat all women and men fairly at work - respect and support human rights and nondiscrimination

Equal Opportunity, Inclusion and Nondiscrimination

• Pay equal remuneration, including benefits, for work of equal value and strive to pay a living wage to all women and men
• Ensure that workplace policies and practices are free from gender-based discrimination
• Implement gender-sensitive recruitment and retention practices and proactively recruit and appoint women to managerial and executive positions and to the corporate board of directors
• Assure sufficient participation of women – 30% or greater – in decision-making and governance at all levels and across all business areas
• Offer flexible work options, leave and re-entry opportunities to positions of equal pay and status
• Support access to child and dependent care by providing services, resources and information to both women and men

Principle 3: Ensure the health, safety and well-being of all women and men workers

Health, Safety and Freedom from Violence

• Taking into account differential impacts on women and men, provide safe working conditions and protection from exposure to hazardous materials and disclose potential risks, including to reproductive health
• Establish a zero-tolerance policy towards all forms of violence at work, including verbal and/or physical abuse and prevent sexual harassment
• Strive to offer health insurance or other needed services including for survivors of domestic violence - and ensure equal access for all employees
• Respect women and men workers rights to time off for medical care and counseling for themselves and their dependents
• In consultation with employees, identify and address security issues, including the safety of women traveling to and from work on company-related business
• Train security staff and managers to recognize signs of violence against women and understand laws and company policies on human trafficking, labour and sexual exploitation

Principle 4: Promote education, training and professional development for women

Education and Training

• Invest in workplace policies and programmes that open avenues for advancement of women at all levels and across all business areas, and encourage women to enter nontraditional job fields
• Ensure equal access to all company-supported education and training programmes, including literacy classes, vocational and information technology training
• Provide equal opportunities for formal and informal networking and mentoring
• Offer opportunities to promote the business case for women’s empowerment and the positive impact of inclusion for men as well as women

Principle 5: Implement enterprise development, supply chain and marketing practices that empower women

Enterprise Development, Supply Chain and Marketing Practices

• Expand business relationships with women-owned enterprises, including small businesses, and women entrepreneurs
• Support gender-sensitive solutions to credit and lending barriers
• Ask business partners and peers to respect the company’s commitment to advancing equality and inclusion
• Respect the dignity of women in all marketing and other company materials
• Ensure that company products, services and facilities are not used for human trafficking and/or labour or sexual exploitation

Principle 6: Promote equality through community initiatives and advocacy

Community Leadership and Engagement

• Lead by example – showcase company commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment
• Leverage influence, alone or in partnership, to advocate for gender equality and collaborate with business partners, suppliers and community leaders to promote inclusion
• Work with community stakeholders, officials and others to eliminate discrimination and exploitation and open opportunities for women and girls
• Promote and recognize women’s leadership in, and contributions to, their communities and ensure sufficient representation of women in any community consultation
• Use philanthropy and grants programmes to support company commitment to inclusion, equality and human rights

Principle 7: Measure and publicly report on progress to achieve gender equality

Transparency, Measuring and Reporting

• Make public the company policies and implementation plan for promoting gender equality
• Establish benchmarks that quantify inclusion of women at all levels
• Measure and report on progress, both internally and externally, using data disaggregated by sex
• Incorporate gender markers into ongoing reporting obligations

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