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Ralph Lauren’s roadmap, “Unlocking Gender Parity in Fashion,” offers industry peers step-by-step methods to help achieve gender parity and pay equality at all levels of their organisations
Ralph Lauren Corporation, a global leader of design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products, and Parity.org, a non-profit organisation focused on bringing gender parity to the highest levels of business, along with PVH Corp., Lacoste, Tiffany & Co. and Movado Group Inc., has unveiled a new roadmap for the fashion industry to make measurable progress in achieving gender parity.
The roadmap is outlined in a paper titled, “Unlocking Gender Parity in Fashion,” which offers industry peers step-by-step methods to help achieve gender parity and pay equality at all levels of their organisations.
“Across the industry, we recognise that we need to make discernible progress on diversity, equality and inclusion. By coming together to develop a consistent method and approach to achieving gender parity and greater diversity, we can move further, faster,” said Roseann Lynch, Chief People Officer, Ralph Lauren.
“This roadmap represents a significant milestone for our industry, and we look forward to continuing to engage in meaningful dialogue with our peers as it is embraced and implemented across companies.”
In 2019, Ralph Lauren and Parity.org brought leading fashion houses and retail organisations together for an open discussion about barriers to gender parity, the industry’s approach to change and the steps required to collectively close the gender gap.
The roadmap, which adapted The Parity Model developed by Parity.org, is the result of these reflections and roundtable dialogues. It is divided into five areas and designed to help companies of all sizes, regardless of budget or resources, to align with a consistent approach for delivering representation, equality and inclusion:
Making a visible commitment as the first step to close the gender gap and keep it closed,
Executive recruitment strategy as the key to hiring qualified and diverse women at equal levels, positions and pay, Executive preparedness to help companies ensure high-potential women are ready for leadership, Benefits and policies to improve work-life balance and make it possible for women to do their best work, and Equal pay as an essential part of reaching and sustaining gender parity.
“We are excited to partner with the fashion industry, which inspires and employs so many women overall but is lacking meaningful representation at the top,” said Cathrin Stickney, Parity.org Founder and CEO. “The companies that joined us are leaders in recognising the need to address this proactively as an industry, and I know that, together with this roadmap, they will bring the kind of progress that their employees need and consumers increasingly expect.”
The fashion industry has some distance to travel to achieve gender parity. The roadmap offers practical solutions to accelerate progress toward this goal. By focusing on best practices in recruitment, executive preparedness, benefits and policies and pay parity, companies can achieve equality and deliver the diversity that is proven to help businesses thrive.
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