Women are a vital force for progress according to the document. It summarizes that international agreements like the Beijing Platform have established women's rights as human rights. Nordic countries have small gender gaps and high birth rates due to policies supporting working parents. Finland in particular has established laws promoting gender equality since the early 20th century. The document advocates for increasing women's representation in business leadership, as research shows companies with more women leaders are more profitable. It promotes empowering women through education, entrepreneurship programs, mentoring, and networking to close gender gaps.

1. Women – the Vital Force!
DISTRETTO SUD-OVEST
Convegno distrettuale
Soverato 15.6.2014
Tuulikki Juusela, BPW International President
1985-89

2. Some historical remarks
Beijing Platform for Action adopted by all
189 countries at the UN Fourth World Conference on
Women in 1995 and the Millennium Declaration
adopted by 189 countries in 2000, contribute to the
overarching human rights framework
”We all, men and women, need to ask ourselves
what we can do for the women who bear the
greatest responsibility for the world, and for the
future,” Helvi Sipilä urged women in Beijing

3. So True!
“We are smart, we are hard working and we know we are
doing good work, but we still find all sorts of reasons
for questioning whether we deserve more than we
already have. Women hope the world will figure out
how brilliant they are through their work, when in truth,
it is their job to get the word out."
”Even the most talented woman has a thousand
times more obstacles and difficulties in her path
than her male colleagues”- statement by
Famous Minna Canth from the 1880s

4. Nordic countries
By having a strategic focus on supporting working
parents and dual income families, these countries
have the smallest gender gaps in terms of
economic empowerment and political
participation (World Economic Forum)
and boast some of the highest birth rates in Europe
as well as some of the most stable economies

5. Nordic strategy - comprehensive
school system
In 1921 universal compulsory education in Finland
93 % of Finns graduate from high school
The difference between weakest and strongest students
is the smallest in the world
43 % of high school students go to vocational school
The school system is 100% state funded
Finland has same amount of teachers as New York city!
All teachers has to have a masters degree
Finland publishes more children's books than any other
country

6. Is Finland one of the very best places in
which a woman could live ?
The first in Europe to gain the franchise
1972 the Council for Equality to advise lawmakers on methods for
realizing full legal equality for women
1983 Legislation: both parents were to have equal rights for custody
of their children, parental leave
1987 Legislation: forbidding any discrimination on the basis of sex
and providing protection against it
1995 Legislation: gender-based discrimination on the labour
market prohibited
1999 the principles of equality mainsteraming incorporated into the
national employment programmes

7. The Finnish strategy, 4 components
Research and studies: ‘Female Leadership and Firm Profitability’ by the
Finnish Business and Policy Forum EVA35 demonstrated that firms led by
women are more profitable (10-20%) than those led by men.
Corporate governance code: in2008 updated code 36 includes the
recommendation that ‘…both genders shall be represented on the board’.
The code is applicable to large listed companies.
Quick governmental action: government has set the right example by putting
forward a target of appointing at least 40% women on boards of state-owned
companies and achieving it quickly.
Active role of the media: the Finnish media have actively published both
positive stories of companies that made a difference and bad examples of
companies with all-male boards. This has put pressure on companies to
make the necessary changes and avoid negative publicity.

8. Women`s Enterprise Agency
Courses on entrepreneurship
Start-Up counselling
Info sessions
Short notes and sessions
Networking events
Business mentoring
State funding

9. EMPOWERMENT
Empowerment means that people -
both women and men – can take control
over their lives: set their own agendas,
gain skills (or have their own skills
and knowledge recognized), increase
self-confidence, solve problems, and
develop self-reliance. It is both a process
and an outcome.
6.3. 2014 marked 4 years since the launch of the WEP

10. Why get businessworld involved
Gender diversity helps business perform
better signals that self interest and common
interest can come together
Through ”gender lens” business can survey
and analyze current practices, benchmarks
and
reporting practices

11. Equality can be a plus
the skills, knowledge and experience of both
genders diversifies practices, makes
product and service development more
creative, and brings greater sensitivity to the
anticipation of customer needs - better
results

12. Building a diverse workforce
What is the representation of women at the bottom,
middle, and top levels of your organization?
What is the gender mix of your senior leadership?
What leadership roles do women occupy relative
to men?
What is the gender mix in your slate for senior
roles?
Is there a certain stage of career advancement
that women seem to be “getting stuck” and not
moving into leadership? Why?

13. Women at top level
The companies where women
are most strongly represented at board
or topmanagement level are also the
companies that perform best
sufficient participation of women

14. Goal setting is a must
Specific
Measurable
Challenging
Realistic
Time-limited
Action-oriented
Getting heard
Looking and acting the part
Focusing on the big picture

15. Gender diversity and business outcome
In Europe, of 89 publicly traded companies
with a market capitalization of over
150 million pounds, those with more
women in senior management and on
the board had, on average, more than
10 percent higher return on equity than
those companies with the least percentage
of women in leadership.

16. SMEs in Europe
are the main engine of growth and employment and they
harbour enormous potential for job creation.
There are 23 million SMEs in Europe, accounting for
more than 75 million jobs and over 80% of employment in
certain sectors, such as textiles,
construction and furniture.

17. “Generation Y”
will move not only among jobs, but also among
careers through their working lives, reinventing
themselves many times over;
for them, technology is not a tool but a part of what
they are (as shown by their use of social
networking and web 2.0 technologies);
they want challenges and development opportunities
from work, but also choice and flexibility in order
to accommodate their personal lives;
they value employers who demonstrate a
responsible approach to society and to
environment.

18. Womenomics
Refers to women as one of main engines of
growth.
Many economists say that women are one of
the three emerging forces shaping the 21st
century.
The three “Ws”:
Weather, Women and the Web

19. Networking is a prime component
In the future, information is power
The larger your Network, the better your chance of
finding out exactly what you need to know
Knowing whom to call is almost as good as knowing!
Networkers can accumulate influence or power by
control of information and, of course, by learning

20. Women - Mentoring
it has been said that women in mentoring relationships have
greater job satisfaction than women whitout mentors
a mentor can significantly accelerate a woman’s professional
development compared to that of women whitout mentors
mentors are important in introducing women to the
organization’s power structure, formal and informal.
women may face different problems to men in mentoring
relationships

21. To become successful Executive
Network-seize every opportunity
Be visible-develop contacts and resources
Develop your skills- skills inventory,
specialization, new skills
Have a plan- re-evaluate also
Keep up with the times-trends in the economy and
in your industry
Go online-power of Internet, access to knowledge
Do your homework-identify companies with
policies for women

22. To become successful Executive
Learn the corporate culture -
fundamentals,ask questions
Keep your eyes open-watch, listen, learn
Attend to the home front-support, balancing work
and family
Collect experience-even lateral moves
Get a mentor-female or male
Be personable- peers can influence a career
Keep your eyes on your goal-stay focused, admit
to the mistake, move on

23. Future - feminine!
“We must have the courage
to look far into the future”
Helle Kannila, Finland
“The future belongs to those of us, female or
male, who can adopt and embrace the
feminine archetype.”
John Hagel III,
cofounder Deloitte Center
for the Edge, Deloitte United States

24. An empowered woman has
Notions of self-worth and dignity (individual).
Bodily integrity; freedom from coercive forces over a woman’s
very body (individual and structure).
Control and influence over household and public resources
(structure and relations).
Experience with or appreciation of the value of collective
effort and solidarity among women (relations)

25. THANK YOU