Sena DONMEZ, Asli Tuncay CELIKEL

43855

ANALYSING GENDER EQUALITY AND EMPOWERMENT IN TURKISH COMPANIES: AN EXPLORATORY CASE TO ACHIEVE UNITED NATION’S SUSTAINABILITY GOAL

ANALYSING GENDER EQUALITY AND EMPOWERMENT IN TURKISH COMPANIES: AN EXPLORATORY CASE TO ACHIEVE UNITED NATION’S SUSTAINABILITY GOAL

Purpose- United Nations' Sustainability Goal 5, "Achieving Gender Equality and Empower All Women and Girls," is a critically important topic in today's sustainability agenda. This exploratory case study aims to delve into the current status of gender equality and women's empowerment in Turkish businesses. Furthermore, it seeks to propose a roadmap with thematic areas that can guide companies in fulfilling Goal 5. Methodology- For this qualitative research, the study engaged professionals in Türkiye, specifically in the manufacturing and logistics industries in Istanbul. The research employed both preliminary and face-to-face interviews to gather insights from experts in the field of sustainability and those working on SDG 5. The preliminary phase involved two managers, while the subsequent face-to-face interviews involved five key experts. A total of ten open-ended questions were posed to representatives from five companies, comprising sustainability managers and specialists from the manufacturing and logistics sectors. Findings- Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) literature revealed various themes related to gender equality and empowerment, encompassing gender-neutral decision making, a person’s well-being, creating safe spaces, gender equality role in value chain, environmental impact, ethical considerations, awareness, and empowerment linked to leadership. The qualitative research findings were significant to shape a future plan. Based on the research results, ten thematic areas for companies was developed by the authors. Roadmap Thematic Areas for Companies: Breaking gender stereotypes for gender-neutral career, promoting social sustainability through training opportunities, implementing gender-neutral recruitment practices, adopting gender-neutral policies in all decision making processes, establishing an egalitarian environment within the value chain and permissions, addressing global deficiencies in training to eliminate gender prejudices and promoting access to health and medicines, maintaining work-life balance, supporting advancement of employees with trainings, considering benefits of society on environmental impacts and raising public awareness by ensuring ethics. Conclusion- The development of Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) relies heavily on social, economic, and environmental factors, particularly concerning leadership. This case study underscores the need for Turkish companies to prioritize gender equality and women's empowerment initiatives, as their efforts will contribute to broader sustainability endeavors within the country. By actively embracing the proposed roadmap's strategies, businesses can pave the way for a more inclusive and sustainable future for all individuals in Türkiye.
Keywords:

Gender equality, leadership, sustainability SDG5 target, workplaces,

PDF

___

  • A Practical Guide to Mainstreaming Gender Analysis in Value Chain Development. (2007). ILO: https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_emp/---emp_ent/documents/instructionalmaterial/wcms_106538.pdf
  • Alwis, R. (2019). End All Forms of Discrimination against Women and Girls with Disabilities and Enhance the Participation of Women with Disabilities in Inclusive Innovation. UN.
  • Barry, M., Jowell, A., Thompson, K., Moyer, C., Burke, K., Larson, H., & Talib, Z. (2017). A New Vision for Leadership in Global Health, 390(10112), 2536-2537.
  • Beckwith, N. (2016). OECD. Inclusive business can help solve the sustainability equation: https://www.oecd.org/greengrowth/inclusive-business-sustainability-equation.htm
  • Blackburn, R., & Jarman, J. (2006). Gendered occupations- exploring the relationship between gender. International Sociology, 21(2), 289-315.
  • BluePrint for Business Leadership on the SDGs. (2018). UN Global Compact: https://blueprint.unglobalcompact.org/sdgs/sdg05/
  • Building the Evidence Base and Advancing Policy Actions to Achieve The SDGs. (2021). OECD: https://www.oecd.org/environment/Policy-Highlights-Gender-and-Environment-Evidence-Base-and-Policy-Actions-to-Achieve-the-SDGs.pdf
  • Bulmer, E.; Riera, M.; Rodríguez, R. (2021). The importance of sustainable leadership amongst female managers in the spanish logistics industry: a cultural, ethical and legal perspective. Sustainability 2021, 13(12), 6841.
  • Caughey, A. (2021). What’s in an occupation? investigating within occupation variation and gendersegregation using job titles and task descriptions. American Sociological Review, 86(5), 960-999.
  • Esquivel, V. (2016). Power and the sustainable development goals: a feminist analysis. Gender & Development, 24(1), 9-23.
  • Eurostat. (2022). Achieve Gender Equality and Empower All Women and Girls: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=SDG_5_-_Gender_equality
  • Explainer: Sustainable Development Goal 5. (2022). UN Women: https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/explainer/2022/09/explainer-sustainable-development-goal-five
  • Freeland, R., & Harnois, C. (2020). Bridging the gender wage gap: gendered cultural sentiments, sex segregation, and occupation level wages. American Sociological Association, 83(2), 129-151.
  • Gandhi, V. & Robison, J. (2021). Gallup Workplace. Wellbeing Stats for Women in the Workplace Show a Need for Change: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/352529/wellbeing-stats-women-workplace-show-need-change.aspx
  • Gender-Sensitive Approaches To Value Chain Development: A Complementary Guide. (2022). ILO.
  • Goryunova, E., Scribner, R., & Madsen, S. (2017). The Current Status of Women Leaders Worldwide. Handbook of Research on Gender and Leadership.
  • Grosser, K. (2009). Corporate social responsibility and gender equality: women as stakeholders and the European Union sustainability strategy. Business Ethics: European Review, 18(3), 290-307.
  • Infante, A., & Darmawan, D. (2022). Gender equality: women's involvement in human resource management practices. Journal of Social Science Studies, 2(1), 27-30.
  • Junior, R., Fien, J., & Horne, R. (2019). Implementing the UN SDGs in universities: challenges, opportunities, and lessons learned. Sustainability: The Journal of Record, 12(2), 129-133.
  • Kalmaz, D., & Lisaniler, F. (2019). Occupational segregation and labour force participation of women: case of North Cyprus. Akademik İncelemeler Dergisi, 14(1), 1-26.
  • Khushk, A., Zengtian, Z., & Hui, Y. (2023). Role of female leadership in corporate innovation: a systematic literature review. Gender in Management: An International Journal, 38(3), 287-304.
  • Kiefner, V. (2022). Women leaders increase company action on the SDGs. Network For Business Sustainability: https://nbs.net/women-leaders-increase-company-action-on-the-sdgs/
  • Kuzior, A., Kettler, K., & Rab, L. (2022). Digitalization of work and human resources processes as a way to create a sustainable and ethical organization. Energies, 15(1), 172.
  • Leal Filho, W., Kovaleva, M., Tsani, S. et al. (2022). Promoting gender equality across the sustainable development goals. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 15, 1-22.
  • Levin, M. (2021). Why female leadership is crucial to tackling climate change and other crises. UNFCCC: https://climatechampions.unfccc.int/why-female-leadership-is-crucial-to-tackling-climate-change-and-other-crises/
  • Long, S. (2022). The benefits of active leadership in sustainability. https://greenbusinessbureau.com/topics/green-culture/the-benefits-of-active-leadership-in-sustainability/
  • McElhaney, K., & Mobasseri, S. (2012). Women Create a Sustainable Future. UC Berkeley Has School of Business.
  • Nowrojee , S. (2022). United Nations Foundations. Crises, Consequences, and a Call For Women to Lead: Three Takeaways From the 2022 ReykJavik Global Forum: https://unfoundation.org/blog/post/crises-consequences-and-a-call-for-women-to-lead-three-takeaways-from-the-2022-reykjavik-global-forum/
  • Our Contribution to the UN SDGs. (2019). Vodafone: https://www.vodafone.com/content/dam/vodcom/sustainability/pdfs/sdgs.pdf
  • Pierli G, Murmura F and Palazzi F (2022) Women and leadership: how do women leaders contribute to companies’ sustainable choices? Frontiers in Sustainability, 3, 930116.
  • Policies and Practices to Promote Women in Leadership Roles in the Private Sector. (2020). OECD.
  • Progress on Sustainable Development Goals: The Gender Snapshot, (2022). UNStats.
  • Ramos, A.; Latorre, F.; Tomás, I.; Ramos, J. (2022). Women’s promotion to management and unfairness perceptions—a challenge to the social sustainability of the organizations and beyond. Sustainability, 14(2), 788.
  • Rauf , S. (2022). Women empowerment in pakistan: dissection of paradoxical depth. Journal of International Women's Studies, 24(1), 30-41.
  • SDG indicator metadata. (2023). UNStats: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/files/Metadata- 05-05-02.pdf
  • Segerstedt, E., & Abrahamsson, L. (2019). Diversity of livelihoods and social sustainability in established mining communities. The Extractive Industries and Society, 6(2), 610-619.
  • Seo, G., Huang, W., & Han, S. (2017). Conceptual review of underrepresentation of women in senior leadership positions from a perspective of gendered social status in workplace: implication for HRD research and practice. Human Resource Development Review, 16(1), 35-39.
  • Sustainable Development Goals A Business Perspective. (2018). Deloitte.
  • Wach , E. (2012). Measuring the inclusivity of inclusive business. Institute of Development Studies Brighton, 2012(9), 01-30.
  • We Add Value to Life With Technology. (2021). https://yatirimci.teknosa.com/Content/Files/tknfrae2021uyg10.pdf
  • We Brew to Create Sustainable Value. (2021). Anadolu Efes 2021 Sustainability Report.
  • Weingaertner , C., & Moberg, Å. (2014). Exploring social sustainability: learning from perspectives on urban development and companies and products. Sustainable Development, 22(2), 122-133.
  • Women in the Workplace 2022. (2022). McKinsey & Company: https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace
Journal of Management Marketing and Logistics-Cover
  • Yayın Aralığı: Yılda 4 Sayı
  • Başlangıç: 2014
  • Yayıncı: PressAcademia
Arşiv
Sayıdaki Diğer Makaleler

A STUDY ON MIDDLE-CLASS FEMALE REMOTE WORKERS: A STUDY ON WORK-FAMILY CONFLICT, JOB SATISFACTION, AND INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION SATISFACTION

Melike ARTAR, Yavuz Selim BALCIOGLU, Oya ERDIL

ANALYSING GENDER EQUALITY AND EMPOWERMENT IN TURKISH COMPANIES: AN EXPLORATORY CASE TO ACHIEVE UNITED NATION’S SUSTAINABILITY GOAL

Sena DONMEZ, Asli Tuncay CELIKEL

SATISFACTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS WITH BLACKBOARD LEARNING SYSTEM DURING COVID-19

Yasser Abdullah Mohsen ALYADUMI, Pinar FALCIOGLU

AN EVENT STUDY WORK ON THE SPONSORSHIP AGREEMENTS IN TERMS OF MARKETING ACTIVITIES

Begum MARAL, Olcay OLCEN