ESADE joins European Parliament manifesto to promote gender equality
ESADE has become the first business school to sign on to #DóndeEstánEllas (“Where are the women?”), a European Parliament protocol designed to promote gender equality in public events. The manifesto, signed on Friday, 2nd March at Espacio Bertelsmann in Madrid, is backed by the Representation of the European Commission in Spain; various associations (Spanish Women in International Security [SWISS], Clásicas y Modernas, Unión Profesional and the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities [CRUE]); two think tanks (CIDOB and esglobal); several universities (Complutense University of Madrid, Rey Juan Carlos University, European University and the Autonomous University of Madrid); two communication consulting firms (Atrevia and Agenda Pública); and the organisations ONCE and CERMI.
One of the main objectives of the protocol is to encourage women to participate in public debates, conferences and communication events, and to enhance the visibility of their roles and contributions to the progress of the European Union. All the entities that have joined the manifesto have committed to publishing statistics on the participation of experts at their events starting in 2019, with the aim of improving the percentage of women each year.
New strategy to promote gender equality
#DóndeEstánEllas is being promoted by the European Parliament Information Office in Spain. The initiative was prompted, among other reasons, by data collected by EU Panel Watch. For example, at the 299 debates held in Brussels by private institutions and organisations in June 2016, just 506 participants were women, compared with around a thousand men; 21% of the events only had male speakers; and only 34% of such forums had the same number of male and female participants.
The presentation of the #DóndeEstánEllas manifesto featured the participation of figures such as Jaume Duch, Spokesperson and Director-General of Communication at the European Parliament. The event also featured a talk by Mercedes Wullich, President of Mujeres & Cía, and a debate between journalist and writer Sonsoles Ónega and Euprepio Padula, an expert on political and business leadership. The event culminated with the signing of a Protocol of Intent by the European Parliament and the other participating entities.
