Equality plans that do change things

Many companies boast of having an equality plan. But in the day to day, almost nothing changes: promotions keep benefiting the same profiles and pay gaps continue to exist.

The problem is not whether a company has a plan or not. What truly matters is whether that plan really changes how people are hired, paid, evaluated and promoted in the company.

Why many equality plans fail

Why does this happen? Because many plans are designed as a catalogue of good intentions, but they do not change the rules of the game: who gets promoted, who earns more and who reaches the positions of power.

They include training in equality, protocols against harassment or measures to reconcile work and family life. All of this helps, but nothing improves if decisions about promotions and salaries remain the same.

When an equality plan really changes things

An equality plan works when it goes from paper to reality. When it forces companies to measure their real commitment to equality with data on very specific questions:

• what percentage of women and men are promoted at each level
• whether equivalent positions are paid the same wages
• who is promoted for the first time to a position managing people
• who is assigned the key projects and who gains visibility before management

Carrefour: from the catalogue to operational measures

For example, Carrefour has taken its plan to the operational field: blind résumés in certain selection processes, salary audits, priority in promotions for the under-represented sex and protection of variable pay so that a leave of absence or a parental leave —which affect women more— does not reduce income. Measures like these turn into reality the idea of parity as a right and an economic imperative, not as a mere statement.

CaixaBank: public targets and measurable results

CaixaBank publishes targets and results. The data make it possible to check whether its equality plan works: from 39.9% of women managers in 2021 to 43.4% in 2024, a level of representation reached one year ahead of plan. By 2027, the financial group has set a target of 45%. To achieve it, its Wengage program includes shortlists with female candidates in internal promotion processes, mentoring programs for women and periodic monitoring of the percentage of women managers. It is a concrete translation of the idea that more women on boards lead to better companies.

Inditex: promotions and management with real parity

At Inditex, according to its Annual Report 2022, 75% of internal promotions that year went to women and 80% of management positions were held by them. The company also reports no gender pay gap. These figures reflect what really matters: that promotions and salaries depend on merit, not on sex, in line with what other examples of female leadership and its real value already show.

In equality, only results count

In gender equality, good intentions are not enough: only results count.