RAPID Employment Project (REP) staff have completed a one-day Gender Equality workshop led by the World Bank Gender Consultant Kathy Cusack.
The workshop, which was held on Wednesday, came as a second part following the first workshop held last April 1-2 this year.
Honiara City Council City Clerk Charles Kelly in his opening remarks at the workshop was pleased that this kind of workshop was initiated for all REP staff.
Gender equality is achieved when people are able to access and enjoy the same rewards, resources and opportunities regardless of whether they are a woman or a man.
Many countries worldwide have made significant progress towards gender equality in recent decades, particularly in areas such as education.
However, women continue to earn less than men, are less likely to advance their careers as far as men, and are more likely to spend their final years in poverty.
At the same time, women often find it more difficult to access family-friendly policies or flexible working arrangements than men.
The aim of gender equality in the workplace is to achieve broadly equal outcomes for women and men, not exactly the same outcome for all individuals. To achieve this requires:
• workplaces to provide equal pay for women and men for work of equal or comparable value
• the removal of barriers to the full and equal participation of women in the workforce
• access to all occupations and industries, including leadership roles, for women and men
• -elimination of discrimination on the basis of gender, particularly in relation to family and caring responsibilities for both women and men.
Ms Cusack highlighted that achieving gender equality is important for workplaces not only because it is ‘fair’ and ‘the right thing to do’, it is also vitally important to the bottom line of a business and the productivity of our nation.
The REP staff also had the opportunity to share their experience and knowledge in the light of the various topics in relation to gender equality.
“It is a learning experience for me,” said Justin Lima one of the REP staff, “The terms like Gender Equity and Gender Equality are new and after this training I can understand and differentiate these two terms,” he added.
Meanwhile, REP-HCC Project Manager Salvador Jiao thanked Ms Cusack for the valuable insights on this very important topic and also applauded the REP staff for their valuable participation during the workshop.
REP-MID Project Manager Nonoy Garcia on the same note told the REP staff that, once we learn and understand the topic well, it will enhance our relationship in our family, workplace, community and society.
At the end of the workshop all the participants were awarded certificates in recognition of successful and valuable participation during the gender training workshop.
