Latin America. On the occasion of the commemoration of International Women's Day, ESET analyzed the current situation of the gender gap in the workplace, the presence of the glass ceiling, the mental load generated by this reality and the actions that companies can take to contribute to equality.
To put it in context, the International Economic Fund indicates that less than half of women actively participate in the global labor market, compared to 72% of men. And according to the Global Gender Gap Report shared this year by the World Economic Forum, it will not be possible to reach full gender pay parity until 2058.
With regard to the Latin American and Caribbean region, the International Labour Organization highlights that, although there has been progress, "gender inequalities" are still evident. Specifically, it notes that in 2024 "the female participation rate remained at 52.1%, well below that of men (74.3%)". And she adds: "Women earn on average 20% less than men, and they continue to be exposed to higher unemployment rates and lower quality jobs."
Julieta Escolar, Human Resources Manager for ESET Latin America in the Buenos Aires office, analyzes: "The wage gap, not only due to the lack of access to management positions, but also due to equal positions and hierarchy, continues to be a challenge. Although companies are starting to map and try to find solutions, it is something that not many can solve in the short/medium term."
The glass ceiling
Another aspect of this problem is the glass ceiling, which invisibly but sensitively limits the growth and development of women in the business environment. Specifically, the glass ceiling refers to the set of unwritten rules within organizations that make it difficult for women to access senior management positions.
Its invisibility nature is the result of the absence of visible laws and codes. Russell Reynolds Associates (a global firm specializing in leadership search and advice), through its CEO turnover index, identified that in 2024, women accounted for 24 of the CEO's appointments worldwide (i.e., 11%), compared to 196 male appointments.
Carla Araujo, Marketing Manager for ESET Brazil, acknowledges: "In my professional career, I always worked mostly with male managers and colleagues. On several occasions, I noticed veiled questions – never direct, but present – about the ability of women to assume leadership positions. In addition, I witnessed several situations in which male colleagues were promoted while women, with equal or even superior training, were disregarded."
In agreement, Julieta Escolar adds: "The biggest challenge that women face in the workplace is the lack of representation in management positions. Historically, these positions have been occupied by men, and although this trend has been improving little by little, this representation is still lacking. Because of my work, I have had to listen to comments from male leaders, where they have asked me not to hire women for key positions so that there is not so much turnover for maternity leave. As a woman, they were comments that I had to tolerate without the possibility of refuting."
For her part, Gabriela Rodríguez, Sales Manager for ESET Latin America based in Mexico, shares: "From my point of view, the biggest challenge is respect for the right to motherhood. It is a fact that being a mother does not prevent, in any way, that you can exercise any work activity, even in a prominent way. However, pregnancy has been one of the main reasons why women's right to work has been unjustly denied. How have I approached it? Not tolerating it, not accepting it and expressing that motherhood is not an impediment."
"This type of challenge creates silent barriers that hinder women's professional growth," says Araujo.
Mental load
A recent study carried out by the University of Bath and the University of Melbourne confirms the point: women take on seven out of ten (71%) mental tasks in the home. Specifically, it refers to what is necessary for family life to run smoothly, including scheduling, planning, and organizing tasks. This publication, which had the participation and opinion of 3,000 American parents, states that women are in charge of 79% of daily tasks, such as cleaning and caring for children, more than twice as many as men (37%).
"The invisible mental load of women, seeking a constant balance between family and work life, is one of the greatest challenges we face. In many cases, we have the task of organizing and implementing family logistics and, even when we delegate activities, we are not allowed to give up our key role to make everything work. For this reason, the feeling of exhaustion in many cases is high," says Escolar.
The role of companies in contributing to equity
The gender gap is a reality, as is the fact that companies and organizations can play a fundamental role in contributing to equity.
"Companies must start working so that their management team is as diverse as possible, that it includes not only women in these roles, but also seeks to make their personal realities diverse, and thus have different points of view to address the company's problems. To do this, they must evaluate whether their promotion systems are fair and equitable to avoid any bias," Escolar proposes.
And he adds: "They can propose as a medium-term objective, not only to map the wage gap but also to analyze the benefits offered and see which one impacts to a greater or lesser extent on people of different genders and realities, and based on that propose solutions."
For her part, Gabriela Rodríguez also provides concrete measures: "Promote that, within their hiring processes, there is no gender bias. That is, that practices are implemented that guarantee equal opportunities, regardless of gender. Along the same lines, promote pay equity policies, make visible the role of women in those professions in which men predominate, offer training, development and mentoring programs, and encourage the promotion of women in management positions."
Along these lines, Carla Araujo reaffirms: "I believe that equality in the corporate environment is not only about offering the same opportunities, but about ensuring that all professionals have fair conditions to grow. To reduce the gender gap, companies must implement development programs for women and reevaluate their promotion and hiring processes."
And she concludes: "diversity must go beyond gender: creating an inclusive environment means considering different profiles, experiences and backgrounds. When companies invest in diversity, they get new ideas, different points of view, and in the end, much better results."
