Paz Martínpresident of BPW Madriddiscusses in this interview with PROA Communication the position of women in the business world. She admits that "the values, principles and discourse that motivated the establishment of BPW, the lobby The world's most influential women's organisation in 1930 is still very much alive and kicking because the changes in society, although profound, have not fully materialised, so support for women in business and political decisions must be strengthened from our position".. Through the different projects and initiatives that BPW Madrid has, it determines that "The entrepreneurial profile and alliances must be encouraged for the formation of a good ecosystem"..
"Our position of lobby in defence of gender policies has allowed us to be part of the meetings of the Council of Europe and the UN, with representation in the different regional offices of the latter.
He pointed to the need to use pedagogy and different awareness-raising profiles in order to continue to break down stereotypes and thus be able to make progress in terms of results for the future. He assures that in this area must be combated through education in equality, values and principles.because "a man does not fight for his position because it is taken for granted. Women have many more obstacles that must be broken down by strengthening and making our position more visible. This will help us to achieve the longed-for equality that society needs". She believes that it is absolutely essential for every company to have a decalogue and code of ethics for equality in order to manage all related activities as effectively as possible and to avoid possible related problems such as the gender pay gap. All of this, she says "Without the support of public institutions and trade unions, it would not be possible to make this extra effort so that the gap can be progressively reduced.
When asked about the position of women in working life, the President of BPW Madrid is very clear: "the lowest salaries are found in the most feminised professions". and, in his view, "the higher the position in the pyramid, the less difference there is". He also points out that "it is in the allowances where the difference lies and where we can find the most inequality because it is more difficult to justify. The differences are not usually found in the basic salary". All this, he says, "despite the fact that there are more female university students than male university students, which is related to the higher rate of professional success among women". She adds that this latent inequality can also be seen in IBEX 35 companies, and even in the public sector itself, citing the low number of female ambassadors in Spain as an example.
On the coronavirus and how it can affect the female position, she is blunt: "We must never forget that whenever there is a crisis, women's rights are always slowed down. They are always doubly disadvantaged".. This is why she explains that in order to reduce this damage, BPW Madrid, in addition to parallel projects such as the INCUBADORA DE EMPRESAS (a project that seeks to provide financial support to women's business plans), developed the RECUPÉRATE project within fifteen days, which allows the crisis caused by COVID-19 not to destroy the female micro-enterprise fabric. "Through this programme, solutions are offered and business plans are reviewed and modified, among other things.. We have the experience and knowledge to be able to assist them in the transformation, in addition to the reinforcement with coaching He emphasised that "the COVID-19 is a specialised programme for them to return to their entrepreneurial profiles through motivation and to come up with quick and creative solutions". In relation to this, and asking about the damage that the current economic situation can cause to the profiles seniorMartin declares that "entrepreneurship has no agebecause many women have to look for a way out at certain times in their lives," she says. the best way is to enter the business world through self-employment.In his opinion, this method "is the best way for them to realise themselves, allowing them to have and feel the economic and business empowerment that will help them to achieve their present and future goals from an SME".
The President of BPW Madrid is highly critical of Spain's position on education and health in recent years.appreciating that "it has been seen as an expense rather than an investment".. "The Dominican Republic invests 5% of GDP in education and has allowed the economic take-off of many women who were previously unable to do so by their own means," she stresses. She believes that this is the key to avoid a deterioration in the perception of citizens and thus be able to better withstand future crises by having a greater specialisation in both genders.
"Education is the key that every person has in order to be free and to be fulfilled. Without it, it is very difficult to reach our goals"..
The management of the health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the great underdeveloped capacity that Spain has in the health sector, saying that "we have great professionals, but they are not cared for or supported so that they can develop their careers in Spain. We don't manage to retain talent and that's why they leave", as well as pointing out that "we have great professionals, but they are not looked after or supported so that they can develop their careers in Spain. "Professions such as nursing, with a majority of women, are not as well paid in terms of the proportion that can be found in other health professions such as medicine. Women are severely affected in the sectors where we are most present"..
In conclusion, Paz Martín pointed out that all the projects and programmes of the association are based on close public-private collaboration between the members and public institutions, as the association does not receive any type of subsidy. Support also comes from external channels, such as partnersShe concluded by saying that the women in the association had reached a certain level and wanted to actively support the cause. She concluded by saying that participation in these programmes and projects "produces a very positive experience and satisfaction for our employees as they see the projects evolve on a daily basis. This generates an experience and enrichment that no profit and loss account can offer".
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Consultant junior of PROA Communication