PROMOTING #BALANCEFORBETTER AT INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY CELEBRATION
GENDER EQUALITY IN BUSINESS AND LEADERSHIP AT HOMS SOLICITORS LIMERICK LUNCHEON
More than 50 business leaders in Limerick attended our luncheon marking International Women’s Day this week. Hosted in our Limerick Boardroom on Henry Street, speakers shone a bright light on the benefits of diversity in leadership and gender equality in business and academia.
Speaking about a ‘better balance’ at work, HOMS’ commercial property Partner Sandra Egan said:
“Bringing together women and men to focus on and discuss gender equality and a better balance is enormously beneficial to every organisation. As a partner in a law firm where more than 50% of our solicitors are female, we know that gender balance is central to the continued success of this firm. It is critical that more agile and smart work practices, for both men and women, are part of the culture of our workplaces to help achieve better balance at all levels within every organisation. We were delighted to hold this event to mark International Women’s Day and to host such accomplished speakers as Dr Marie Connolly and Dr Lydia Bracken from University of Limerick.”
University of Limerick’s Head of Equality & Diversity Dr Marie Connolly delivered an insightful presentation about gender equality and achieving balance in the university sectors along with evidence of how greater balance brings benefits to organisations. With UL at the top of the university league tables in terms of the best gender balance in academia positions, Dr Connolly shared her key advice and recommendations on how all organisations can achieve greater gender balance, such as through the use of GEM equality project’s Best Practice Guide, unconscious bias training, metrics and data on an organisation’s balance and the adoption of particular human resources processes and policies to ensure a ‘level playing field’ for men and women.
Dr Lydia Bracken, Assistant Dean Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Faculty of AHSS at UL discussed gender equality as a human right and how gender equality is achieved when women and men enjoy the same rights and opportunities across all sectors of society. Dr Bracken drew from the seven step framework proposed by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) to give attendees of the #BalanceforBetter event a real overview of gender equality in Ireland today.
Promoting gender balance, we hosted women and men from businesses and organisations across the education, corporate, banking and accountancy sectors to celebrate International Women’s Day.
