At a ceremony held on the International Womens Day in the Embassy of Sweden in Thailand, the Stock Exhange of Thailand (SET) signaled a commitment to make and promote practices that will help women succeed in the business, according to Mondo Visione.
The ceremony, which consisted of the parties ringing a bell to signal a wish to improve womens rights at the work place, took place at the Swedish Embassy in Thailand, and several political groups attended the ceremony, among them the Regional Director for UN Women in the region:
“The private sector is uniquely positioned to be part of iconic global movements towards gender equality in workplace settings,” said Miwa Kato, Regional Director for UN Women Asia and the Pacific. “This will empower women to participate fully in economic life across all sectors and all levels of activities and will benefit the global community as a whole.”
Staffan Herrström, the Swedish Ambassador to Thailand, emphasized the parental leave as a key factor in getting more women in businesses, especially in the top positions.
“There is a perception, a stereotype, that parenthood is something that happens in women’s lives only, and that parenthood has practical consequences only for women’s lives,” said Herrström. “Paid parental leave for both fathers as well as mothers is an effective way to address that stereotype.”
And women doesn’t have many of the top posts in Thailand. Of Thailand’s total of 643 listed companies, 12 per cent of these companies have women as the chief executive officer. Four out of five listed companies have at least a woman as independent director in their boards of directors.
‘Ring the Bell for Gender Equality 2018’ is a joint global initiative among UN Global Compact, UN Women, Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative, International Finance Corporation: IFC, World Federation of Exchanges and Women in ETFs. This year, 59 stock exchanges around the world were expected to take part.
