Astute Corporate Leaders Recognise Importance of Women's Empowerment

LONDON, January 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

The debate surrounding women's empowerment in the workplace is a frequent topic of discussion in the media. From the Dagenham strikes in London in 1968 to present day, women have been claiming their rights to top positions and equal pay, but remain woefully underrepresented in many boardrooms around the world. In The New Economy's Women's Empowerment Corporate Leadership Awards 2012, the magazine has recognised those institutions making great strides to bridge the gender gap.

Though the debate is ongoing, solutions are still far from ideal. From positive discrimination to legislation, different countries and regions have responded differently to the entrenchment of gender inequality in the business world. Most European countries have adopted some form of legislation that outlaws discrimination based on gender and often covers unequal pay, but some countries, such as Norway, have gone further and made positive discrimination the law. Since 2002 the country has operated a 40 percent gender quota for women in the boardrooms of market-listed companies, and while many praised the move, others claim quota systems foster a negative perception of women and how they came to hold their positions. While critics and columnists have recognised that governments must act to address the imbalance, organisations must fight the cause as well.

Unveiling the awards in the Winter issue of The New Economy - now on sale in newsagents and available online at http://www.theneweconomy.com - the magazine has highlighted those firms with the very best in corporate governance policies. View the awards at http://www.theneweconomy.com/awards/womens-empowerment-corporate-leadership-awards-2012.

The latest issue of The New Economy also investigates the benefits and drawbacks of 3D printing, the future of manufacturing, and how corporations are turning to big data. Available now in print, online and on iPad.

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The New Economy
Michael McCaw
Editorial Department
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michael@theneweconomy.com