TCI Gender and Economic Growth Initiative
The aim of the TCI Gender and Economic Growth Initiative, which was launched in the 12th TCI Annual Global Conference Jyväskylä 2009, is to change a perceived gender/diversity/equality problem to a competitive advantage, by indentifying opportunities and collecting good practices and proven methods on gender equality as a driver for economic growth. The goal is to produce a document, and present and discuss it at a follow-up workshop at TCI Annual Conference 2010. Objective is to produce "food for thought" with good examples on practical solutions.
The rational is simple: society's human capital is not being used rationally if we discriminate some parts of it. Gender equality is protected by law in many countries, but mindsets and practices - both of individuals and of society as a whole - still need to be changed. Therefore, the initiative will concentrate on solutions and results.
Gender equality is a multidimensional term embracing economic, cultural and social dimensions. The initiative will concentrate on three measurements: equal right to education, equal right (and opportunity) to work in the market, and the nature of work and wage.
At present, there are differences in the levels of labor force participation between women and men in all countries in the world. This is to a great extent due to the perception of the role of women in housework and working in the market. It's a known fact that women have lower pay levels than men in all countries, which directly reflects the different conditions and circumstances under which women and men live. This applies to everything from unequal sharing of household work to pay gaps, involuntary part-time and gender segregation of the labor market.
The key question is: how can TCI, it's members and their organizations make a change, within their scope, mandate and resources? Are there any examples on successful cluster programs, initiatives or projects with the aim of boosting economic growth by gender equality?
The initiative currently include TCI members from Sweden, Norway, Finland, Egypt, Italy and Uganda. There is also a true Triple Helix representation in the group. The initiative will be jointly financed by:
- Vinnova - Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems www.vinnova.se
- Tillväxtverket - Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth www.tillvaxtverket.se
- Innovation Norway www.innovasjonnorge.no
Contact
Jan Sandred
jan.sandred@vinnova.se
