This blog post is part of our ongoing Women @ Work series.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis, we’ve seen a brighter spotlight shine on gender inequality. Without a significant upsurge in the representation of women’s voices at the climate table, the sustainability movement will struggle to succeed.

Sustainability and the climate crisis are not gender specific, and the speed of our action is more important than who gets us there. However, by failing to include female voices, we miss the richness and diversity of thinking the subject requires.

The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2018 states that the largest gender disparity is in political empowerment, which maintains a gap of 77.1 percent. Women represent only 6 percent of ministerial positions responsible for national energy policies and programs, and 15 percent of Green Climate Fund boards, according to the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society.

The gender imbalance is stark, and we need to do more to empower women in politics, leadership, organizations, and communities so their voices are heard. I have used my own leadership position at Citrix to help push the company to become more sustainable internally and put structures in place to help us better support customers who want to be more sustainable, too.

Here are four reasons why we need women’s voices to be heard in the sustainability conversation.

  • First, give women a seat at the decision-making table: It’s not that women’s voices aren’t there, they just aren’t being heard. The Women’s Connected Leadership Declaration on Climate Justice states: “Women and girls are already boldly leading on climate justice, addressing the climate crisis in ways that heal, rather than deepen, systemic injustices. Yet, these voices are often under-represented and efforts inadequately supported.”Women at the forefront of their communities have the knowledge needed to lead on the climate crisis and are active in developing practical solutions. To further tap into this valuable insight, women deserve to be given a seat at the table to play an important role in decision-making. Currently, there is no clear relationship between those making decisions and those taking action.
  • Empathy is critical: Women are disproportionately affected by climate change, largely because of ongoing social and economic inequality, deprived political rights, and family status. This can give women a much greater sense of empathy on the subject. Empathy is important because it drives genuine passion and can be the force behind difficult conversations, enabling individuals to make better decisions for generations to come.
  • Gender diversity and climate stability are inseparable: When we diversify, we open ourselves up to new ways of thinking, where ideas and innovation can come to the surface. By diversifying, we drive more action. To see more rapid change, we need to be driving inclusion and equality at a leadership level — to include women, and also every group that may have been underrepresented or excluded thus far.
  • Technology and Sustainable Development Goals: There is an important role that business technology can play within the sustainability movement. The UN has published a list of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and, of those, nine can be positively achieved with the support of IT innovation and infrastructure: good health and well-being; decent work and economic growth; industry, innovation, and infrastructure; sustainable cities and communities; responsible consumption and production; climate action; life below water; life on land; and partnerships for the goals.

This is one of the many reasons why I take my responsibility towards sustainability so seriously. Creating the ability to work securely from anywhere, and therefore reducing commuting, is one of the four pillars of our sustainability strategy at Citrix. Research shows that by allowing 1,000 European employees to work from home for just two days per week, annual commuting mileage could be reduced by just over 1 million miles, reducing CO2 emissions by 40 percent. [1]

Diversity of Voices = Progress and Change

Action on sustainability is urgently needed, and the greater the diversity of voices being heard, the more likely we will see progress and change. Ultimately, we need more women in leadership and decision-making roles. To achieve this, we must prioritize gender and climate agendas simultaneously; the two are inextricably linked and must work hand in hand to advance the sustainability movement at the pace we need.

For more on how Citrix can help power a better way to work, click here.

[1] Source: 2018, J. Sutton-Parker MBA Sustainability, “Information Technology (IT) and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions,” PhD Research for University of Warwick Computer Science Department.