Women comprise 80 percent of the events industry workforce, while occupying an estimated 20 percent of leadership roles and earning roughly 80 percent of what their male counterparts earn. MPI wants to change this.
We’ve written extensively on the inseparability of gender equality, economic opportunity and environment in achieving sustainability and the role that the events industry is playing—for better and worse—in framing the narrative of what it means to be truly sustainable. A new MPI initiative, announced today, will continue to reinforce the need for sustainability by aligning 2020 MPI Women’s Community Advisory Board initiatives with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for women, embodied by the UN Women Generation Equality Initiative.
Research shows us that gender inequality touches every roadblock to success—economics to the environment—and is also negatively associated with per capita GDP growth. In a recent interview with MPI, Dr. Mara Catherine Harvey, Head Global UHNW Germany, Austria and Italy, said making finance feminine is key component to global gender equality.
“The semantics around money are extremely biased and masculine-oriented,” she said, adding that a 10 percent pay gap women vs. men can lead to a 40 percent wealth and pension gap over a lifetime. The pay gap is closer to 16 and 20 percent in the U.S. and Europe, respectively. The World Bank Group put a $160 trillion annual price tag on global gender inequality in a study that assessed the lifetime earnings of men and women in 141 countries. If women had the same lifetime earnings as men, global wealth would increase by $23,620 per person, on average, according to the report.
“Our global industry has an economic impact of more than $2.65 trillion, and it’s driven by women. Imagine what we can achieve by educating and mobilizing the industry’s largest association of men and women and empowering MPI members to work together to achieve equality in our lifetime.”
The economic aspect of gender quality is but one area where vast improvements are needed, especially in the events industry. Coming together as a community, something the events industry gets right, is another facet that can turn the lever toward positive social change in a meaningful and measurable way.
“What’s attractive about UN Women and its Generation Equality Initiative, explains MPI Senior Director of Community Kristi Casey Sanders, “is that it provides a framework for actionable change that dovetails nicely with issues women in our community are already discussing. Our global industry has an economic impact of more than $2.65 trillion, and it’s driven by women. Imagine what we can achieve by educating and mobilizing the industry’s largest association of men and women and empowering MPI members to work together to achieve equality in our lifetime.”
A Time for Action
Support of UN Women is a natural fit for MPI, whose 17,000 membership base is represented by 75 percent women. MPI also has a history on taking on women’s global issues. In 2001, it launched the Women’s Leadership Initiative to address the leadership gender gap. Women in Leadership, an executive skills training certificate program, the signing of ECPAT-USA’s Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism, and activation of the MPI Women’s Community and MPI Women’s Community Advisory Board all followed suit.
The MPI Women’s Community Advisory Board will focus on the UN SDG of gender equality through the prism of women in the global meeting and events industry.
"We believe that when we meet, we change the world," said MPI Women Advisory Board Co-Chair Courtney Stanley, of the new MPI initiative. "Together with MPI, we will create opportunities to exchange ideas and unite the voices of meeting professionals to help champion women by leveraging the power of face-to-face connection."
Co-Chair Sarah Soliman Daudin added, "We have an incredible opportunity right now not only to make a difference in our community, but to maximize the influence of our industry and make an impact globally by aligning our mission with that of the United Nations: empower and advance women to help solve the world's greatest challenges."
