Studies show recruiting women will boost your company’s bottom line and also make it a better workplace...
women
Despite some progress, the gaps in labour force participation between men and women remain large. This gender gap comes at a significant economic cost as it hampers productivity and weighs on growth. Even though, apart from tapping into a greater pool of talent, studies show recruiting women will boost your company’s bottom line and also make it a better workplace.
To promote the economic participation of women in the workforce in Pakistan, P&G Pakistan recently made a pledge to mentor 500 women under Million Women Mentors (MWM), an initiative of STEMconnector, to spark interest and confidence in women and girls to pursue STEM careers and leadership opportunities through the power of mentoring.
The main objective of this collaboration is to foster mentoring relationships for women and girls and use mentoring as a tool to encourage women and girls to pursue career goals and leadership opportunities. The pilot programme will run for a year which will be led by senior leaders of P&G Pakistan who will mentor women in professional circles to benefit from better projects, access to leadership, advocacy at higher levels, and mutual support.
One of the mentors, Amar Abbasi, Director Legal & Associate General Counsel, Government Relations Leader at the company, shared, “More often than not, women in our society are reminded of what they can’t do versus the can’s.
Since a very early age, societal restrictions and regulations lay down different benchmarks for assessing a woman and man’s potential, different limitations, and different success criteria.
As a natural consequence, the majority of our female population grows up believing the pursuit of most professional dreams is not for them – with little inspiration within their immediate circles to learn from.”
She added that by connecting aspirational and talented women with others who have already shattered many glass ceilings and made significant achievements in their area of expertise, the mentorship programme provides a platform for much needed moral support and professional guidance.
Expressing his views, Sami Ahmed, Vice President & Country CEO, said, “We are thrilled to make this pledge as mentorship is critical to successful careers for young professionals. We have chosen both male and females for this initiative, as we believe great mentors can offer critical insight into how a business runs and what leadership looks like. We want to push and enable mentees under our mentorship to seek out advancement and help make sure they have the tools to succeed. This is something close to my heart and I strongly believe that with confidence and ambition, something women are too often discouraged from when we’re young, mentors can help reignite that fire and push women to achieve more than we’ve been told they’re destined for.”
– A. Jafri
