Call for more 'She Power' in the digital age

“She Power” needs to be better unleashed in the digital age and more efforts should be made to enhance women's participation in corporate governance and strengthen gender diversity in the workplace, a member of the CPPCC has proposed.

With the rapid development of digital economy, women's contribution to economic growth is ever increasing, said Jiang Ying, a member of China People's Political Consultative Conference and senior vice president of Deloitte Asia Pacific.

Thanks to the empowerment of digital technology, a large number of repetitive tasks have been replaced while emotional intelligence such as insight and communication skills are scarce in work, she said.

Compared with their male counterparts, women have "flexible characteristics" such as tolerance, rationality and negotiating skills, and have inherent advantages in the ability to perceive and manage their own feelings as well as others.

Despite China's continuous efforts in gender equality, there are still many challenges, explicit or invisible, and women’s salaries are around 17 percent lower than men’s, Jiang noted.

Only 17.5 percent of the top management positions in China and 9.7 percent of board members in Chinese business are held by women, she said, citing the Global Gender Gap Report 2020 released by the World Economic Forum.

Jiang called for state-owned enterprises to take the lead in benchmarking world-class companies, integrating gender diversity into corporate culture and development strategies, and increasing the proportion of women in management.

Listed companies should be required to disclose management gender diversity data, she said.

Jiang also proposed that more companies create a gender-diversified corporate culture, such as establishing a female tutor mechanism to help female employees strengthen their professional confidence and set high career goals.

The government and enterprises should work together to create a fair and friendly career development environment for women by, for example, improving infant care services, Jiang said.