- Women drive 70 - 80% of all consumer purchasing decisions, according to Euromonitor.
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71% of women stressed that men play a critical role – either as allies in solutions or barriers to progress.
Businesses globally have evolved to become strong and influential voices in the campaign to empower women and advance gender equality in society.
Businesses have come to the realisation that advocating for a world where women can reach their full potential is not only the right thing to do for society but also the smart thing to do to drive strong business performance.
Research from World Bank and McKinsey indicates that companies with strong gender diversity at all levels perform better.
Notably, women drive 70 - 80 per cent of all consumer purchasing decisions, according to Euromonitor.
These realities make it essential for businesses to appeal to women in their workplace, in their supply chains, and in the marketplace.
They also explain why businesses globally are investing significant time and investment in their gender equality programs.
Mars has not been left behind in this important global movement. However, our approach is unique in that we have been intentional and emphatic about giving women the freedom to define and voice their own issues.
Rather than framing the gender debate on our own, or prescribing solutions without first hearing from women, we have taken a step back to listen to the thousands of women in our business and communities and understand the key issues from their point of view.
When it comes to the gender equality conversation, there is often a misinformed tendency for businesses to do too much talking and not enough listening.
At Mars, we are intent on challenging and changing this model. We cannot break the barriers that hinder women from achieving their full potential if we do not give them a chance to tell their stories in their own words.
This is precisely why we launched the ‘Here to Be Heard’ Campaign globally in 2021. Through the campaign, we reached an astounding 10,327 women in 88 countries, including Kenya, asking them a simple but important question:
“What needs to change for women to reach their full potential?” We received overwhelming feedback.
Working with scientists from Oxford University Said Business School and external qualitative analysis experts, we unearthed some interesting insights from the campaign.
Eight dominant themes emerged in the responses from the women surveyed.
These are access to equal career opportunities, which featured in 79% of feedback from respondents, more decision-making power (65%), support as parents (30%), greater work-life balance (26%), mental and physical wellbeing (19%), an end to gender-based harassment and violence (15%).
Notably, 71% of women stressed that men play a critical role – either as allies in solutions or barriers to progress.
These findings are a call to action that we are taking seriously at Mars and that we encourage all businesses to take seriously as well, cognisant that everybody wins when women prosper.
At a global level, our efforts to address the challenges highlighted by women are focused on our workplace, our sourcing communities and supply chains, and the marketplace.
We have, for example, advanced our approach to flexible working beyond the pandemic to accommodate women in the workplace. In our sourcing communities and supply chains, we’ve invested $500 million in women-owned or operated suppliers.
In the marketplace, we are annually reviewing our advertising to identify and reduce gender bias.
Here in Kenya and the wider sub-Saharan Africa region, where we operate through the Mars Wrigley segment known for timeless chewing gum brands such as PK, Juicy Fruit and Big G, we are also making meaningful progress in creating opportunities for women in our factory and the marketplace.
One initiative I’m particularly proud of is the Maua programme, an innovative route to a market model where we partner with entrepreneurs in informal markets in urban and rural areas in Kenya to tackle the last mile distribution challenge and get our brands to consumers in these markets.
Through the Maua program, we have partnered with more than 1000 entrepreneurs across the country who have benefited economically and socially from our mutual partnership.
What is encouraging is that in the last year alone we have increased the representation of women entrepreneurs on the program from 32% to 40% of the total number.
In the world we want tomorrow, society is inclusive, and women are reaching their full potential.
However, the only way this vision can become a reality for the many women still left behind is if we act today to give women the freedom to tell their stories and if we collaborate to find meaningful solutions that break barriers and accelerate progress.
Ismael Bello is the general manager, Sub- Saharan Africa, Mars Wrigley