How do we enable greater inclusion for women within their communities?

SDG10 calls for reducing inequalities in income as well as those based on age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status within a country.

COVID-19 has deepened existing inequalities, hitting the poorest and most vulnerable communities the hardest. It has put a spotlight on economic inequalities and fragile social safety nets that leave vulnerable communities to bear the brunt of the crisis. At the same time, social, political, and economic inequalities have amplified the impacts of the pandemic. COVID-19 also puts at risk the limited progress that has been made on gender equality and women’s rights over the past decades. Across every sphere, from health to the economy, security to social protection, the impacts of COVID-19 are exacerbated for women and girls simply by virtue of their sex.

Inequalities are also deepening for vulnerable populations in countries with weaker health systems and those facing existing humanitarian crises. Refugees and migrants, as well as indigenous peoples, older persons, people with disabilities and children are particularly at risk of being left behind. If this wasn’t an emergency enough, hate speech targeting vulnerable groups is rising(1). The recent global DEI census states that the most common forms of discrimination globally were based on age and family status.

Reducing inequalities and ensuring no one is left behind are integral to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

At Asahi, our purpose is about “Creating Meaningful Connections” with the goal of creating positive and inclusive experience for people and society: Our own Better Future People Strategy focuses on creating a progressive, welcoming, and inclusive workplace. We want to create a culture where all people are welcomed and respected in the company, regardless of sexual orientation, gender, age, political, religion, race, and disability. Our initial focus has been on reducing inequalities between men and women and further understanding the barriers towards an inclusive organisation by talking with our employees to understand their concerns and how we can jointly progress towards our desired environment.

Asahi is proud to support the Lead 2030 Challenge for SDG 10, to reduce inequalities within and among countries, with a focus on women’s rights and representation. We have partnered with the LEAD Network to help to help us increase the representation of women in our company. The Challenge aims to connect with and support solutions that positively impact the wellbeing and future of vulnerable women in society by supporting and enabling them to feel like they belong through greater inclusion and representation in their community.

The challenge welcomes solutions from young innovators that either:

• Create equal access to opportunities for women for all social and economic backgrounds.
• Create an inclusive culture and environment for disabled women and women who are older.
• Engage employees in global volunteering initiatives to promote and support women in their local communities.
• Creating solutions for women who are impacted by alcohol-related issues personally and within their communities.

Possible solutions may include but are not limited to:

• Partnering with for-profit and/or non-governmental organizations to develop a partnership in supporting women.
• Supporting women by creating access to healthcare, justice, education, safety and raising awareness of discrimination and bias that women face.
• Increasing inclusion and representation of women in politics, sport, the arts and culture.
• Solutions that enable organisation’s to support reducing inequalities for women within their local communities.

(1) Reduce inequality within and among countries – United Nations Sustainable Development