Equality and Diversity

Equal opportunities for men and women on the labour market

According to national and international analyses the situation of women in the labour market is more difficult than that of men. Poland does not stand out among other EU-countries in this respect. Women encounter numerous barriers when entering the labour market, it is alsomore difficult for them to remain professionally active. They earn less than men with the same qualifications, are promoted more rarely and are nearly absent from top management positions. Furthermore, they experience strongly the lack of work-life balance. What determines the existence of such significant inequaties between  men and women on the labour market?  Harmful stereotypes are the most vital causes . Still copied in some homes, in the media or during the educational path, they lead to the emergence of prejudices and, as a consequence, to discrimination. However, the barriers that women encounter on the labour market, have extremely negative repercussions for the whole domestic economy. They prevent the full use of potential of human capital of enterprises. The unequal treatment of men and women reduces competence resources of the company, its ability to generate innovation, diminishes motivation and engagement of employees, which translates into the decrease of an organisation’s effectiveness.

The Institute for Labour Market Analyses conducts analyses of changes taking place in the sphere of fostering equal opportunities between men and women in the labour market. It carries out comprehensive studies in this field and in-depth analyses concerning selected issues such as W-LB or access to training or promotion.

 

Diversity management

There are various characteristics that can differentiate people employed in a company. Gender is only one of many including, for example, age, nationality, physical condition or religion. Some employers identify these differences as the causes of company problems. However, the authors of the concept of diversity management underline however, that refined management of a heterogeneous team may lead to the attainment of a competitive advantage. The multitude of experiences and views of employees contributes to the creation of customised, innovative solutions. The management staff  must be able to recognise the diversity of needs and expectations of its team, though, and restructure existing methods and techniques for managing this unique resource towards the increase of individualisation. The strategy of diversity management has been introduced into Poland by a relatively small group of companies, although given the benefits the strategy yields, the interest in this approach has been growing constantly.

The Institute for Labour Market Analyses explores ways Polish employers define diversity. It draws up expert opinions with regard to universality and the reasons for applying diversity management considering enterprise sectors and scale. The Institute’s  analyses  also deal with barriers hindering companies in the implementation of this approach and with benefits resulting from unlocking the potential of different groups of employees.