Summary of presentation of information

The panel called upon leaders within faith-based organizations to ask their team members “What does inequality look like on our team?,” reflect on how they contribute to the problem and ask themselves and their team how they can help solve it. Michelle Penelope King, Global Expert on Culture and Equality at Work, reminded leaders that “People experiencing inequality [in the workplace] is a direct result of your leadership” and that solutions to combat and correct this issue start with good leaders. Vicky Chehebar, Latin American Jewish Congress Commissioner for Gender Equality, seconded this and reminded attendees that “We have to help each other be better leaders.” Integral to this leadership is understanding the lived experience of your employees, because if we do not understand it, we fall back on common practice that is not working. Additionally, “building understanding of other people’s lived experience allows you to amplify the voices of those whose lived experience puts them on the margin” according to King.

King criticized common practices that deal with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in corporate policy, such as gender quotas, stating that they are not “best practices.” These practices, such as quotas, can reduce the value of a woman and her skills and instead tokenize their experience. King purports that what policies and practices need to target alongside diversity is the culture in the workplace, sharing that “It is not enough to hire women… but to create a culture that values them.” According to King, representation should be an outcome of a positive change in culture, rather than a standalone goal. The overwhelming majority of DEI officers in corporate spaces are female, another widespread practice that may need updating, argues King. When women undertake DEI initiatives, they receive the blame and responsibility of solving an inequality they did not create. Moreover, they are perceived as only advocating for issues that benefit them, whereas if a man had undertaken those same issues, the DEI initiatives may be taken more seriously by the organization allowing for practical changes to occur. The panel calls for a critical look into common DEI practices within organizations to allow for a more significant and positive impact.

Panellists called for attendees to question the idea of meritocracy and its role within faith-based organisations. An assumption that employees receive promotions based on merit allows for systemic sexism to continue, why look for or solve a problem when you do not believe there is a problem to solve? Furthermore, this ‘myth of meritocracy’ perpetuates stereotypes that women are not in positions of power because they are not qualified, rather than barriers borne of systemic injustice. These barriers present themselves even within performance reviews, according to the experts, gendered language persists within these reviews even when they are intended to be anonymous, increasing the likelihood of preference for male candidates and employees over their female counterparts.

The role of men in gender equality advocacy was heavily discussed amongst the panellists, with a nuanced male perspective given by David Smith, Associate Professor at John Hopkins Carey Business School and Author of ‘Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women.’ Michelle Penelope King emphasized the importance in how we frame male allyship sharing her belief that women are capable of fighting inequality on their own but that men are necessary in “Solv[ing] the inequality that you helped create.” The importance of diversity in the workplace is another point that King brought up, as she illustrated that a work environment that values difference and diversity will allow men to be more productive in their work and comfortable in their work environment. David Smith encouraged men to “think about their own personal narratives about this” and move their advocacy for gender equity beyond vocal support for equality and towards practical change, stating “Just because you believe in something does not believe you achieve the outcomes.” Smith also called for transparency and accountability from organizations in regard to their efforts in creating a work environment that celebrates diversity and pushes for gender equality.

The message of the panel was clear “gender equality is freedom” and “we all need to be involved when doing this work.”

Participants:

Michelle Penelope King - Global Expert on Culture and Equality at Work, CEO of Equality Forward; Senior Advisor, UN Foundation’s Girl Up Campaign

Vicky Chehebar - Latin American Jewish Congress Commissioner for Gender Equality, Confederation of Jewish Communities of Colombia

David Smith – Associate Professor at John Hopkins Carey Business School, Author of ‘Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women’

Yohan Benizri – Moderator, President, Belgian Federation of Jewish Organizations; Member, Executive Committee, World Jewish Congress

What information shared in this meeting is of significance to The Salvation Army and why?

As a faith-based organization, it is of interest to the Salvation Army to hear of the corporate policies and practices that are seeking to empower women. In particular, the focus of the panel on leadership and DEI policies may be of significance to the leaders within our ranks. It is important for faith-based organizations to continue to have these conversations in their pursuit for equality, gendered and otherwise.

What is The Salvation Army currently doing to address the UN Sustainable Development Goals addressed in this meeting?

The Salvation Army has a rich history of strong female leadership, beginning early in Army History. There have been three female Generals, Evangeline Booth, Eva Burrows, and Linda Bond and we look forward to more women holding this office in the future. The Salvation Army is also empowering young women through the international social justice girls’ group, which seeks to teach and utilize the skills of young women through social justice advocacy.

What opportunities are there for The Salvation Army to create or further develop the work in this area?

We are constantly learning from conversation, such as this one, how to improve our policies and practices that seek to create a more diverse and inclusive environment for all our employees and the individuals we serve. We are also constantly looking for opportunities to foster female leadership within our ranks regardless of age, race, marital status, etc…

Web links for more information

A recording of this event is available: https://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/events/empowering-women-corporate-policies-and-practices-inspiring-faith-based-organizations