5 Good Reasons to Rely on Gender Equality to Improve Well-Being

Even before the research by Michel Ferrary and McKinsey highlighted a correlation between women’s participation in corporate governance and economic performance, Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz had already identified, as early as the 1990s, a powerful driver of economic growth: gender equality. According to his calculations, we can expect approximately 20% GDP growth if we achieve pay equity, ensure gender diversity across all sectors and professions, and eliminate disparities in the division of household chores. Why? Because all of this would help increase overall household purchasing power and job creation, while drastically reducing underutilization of skills (or situations where women still too often hold positions below their capabilities).

Forget everything you’ve been told about all-female work groups where women are always at each other’s throats! “Women’s” workplaces are no more unpleasant to be around than “men’s” workplaces. On the other hand, a study published in the Journal of Happiness Studies showed that the most gender-diverse workplaces are also those with the highest quality of life at work. And in your opinion, who benefits most quickly and most visibly from gender diversity? Men! This is because the inclusion of women in a male-dominated profession goes hand in hand with a greater focus on ergonomics and a greater emphasis on the quality of relationships.

The essayist Lucile Peytavin, in her book titled The Cost of Masculinity and researcher Martine Delvaux in her book on The Boys’ Club demonstrate, point by point, that all-male cliques are fertile ground for escalating conflict and the normalization of risky behaviors. In sports, on the road, and at work, men don’t (only) treat each other well—not to mention that they sometimes do each other a great deal of harm. In mixed-gender settings, we are all more cautious and better at anticipating the consequences of our actions. Why? Because we are more concerned with projecting a positive image of the gender with which we are identified!

UN Resolution 1325 mandates the participation of women in peace negotiations and post-conflict reconstruction programs. Is this out of a concern for justice? Certainly, since women—who are today the primary victims of conflict —have a direct stake in lasting peace. But also because it has been proven that agreements negotiated by gender-balanced groups are more robust, more durable, and better tailored to meet the needs of a society in the process of reconstruction.

We will not overcome the immense challenges posed by climate change by assigning “everyday eco-friendly actions” to women and “greentech” to men. The latest IPCC report is clear: the environmental transition cannot happen without progress toward social justice. And at the forefront of social justice and good governance isgender parity!