Nora Wu är China matters andra gästbloggare. Nora sitter med i PwC:s globala styrelse, är Human Capital-ledare för Asia Pacific, Senior Partner för PwC:s Shanghai-kontor och Markets Leader för China Central-regionen. Här delar hon med sig av sina tankar och erfarenheter om mångfald och jämställdhet i Kina, något hon även även tar upp i sin Financial Times-intervju för ett tag sedan.
Inlägget publiceras i originalversion på engelska.
In the last week of March, we arranged Global Diversity Week at PwC, a celebration of our individual uniqueness and the value diversity brings to the PwC network. As part of the programme, I hosted an interactive session on our global intranet. During this interactive session we discussed how diversity and inclusion are critical to our business success in China, as the continuing economic growth in the country is attracting more opportunities from across the globe. A great example of this is the launch of China matters, and I expect there to be many more opportunities in the future for both the Swedish and Chinese firms as we further collaborate on important projects.
In the meantime, I would like to share with you my thoughts on another area that I feel very passionate about, gender equality.
When I returned to China from the US in 1995, much of Pudong, Shanghai’s financial district, was still farmland. The country was in the process of a massive transformation from a mainly agricultural economy to the economic miracle that it is today. However, one thing that has not changed significantly since then has been the great opportunity for women to succeed in business in China. In fact, in China there is a famous quote that “women hold up half the sky.”
In China, some 30% of entrepreneurs are women – as reflected by the rising numbers of female executives we encounter daily among our clients. The Forbes 2013 list of 24 self-made female billionaires worldwide contains six from China (including Hong Kong), second only to the US. This progress has coincided with the growth of private-sector businesses, which increasingly appreciate the advantages of a diverse workforce.
However, there is still a long way to go. At PwC China, for example, 65 % of junior staff are women but the proportion slumps to 30% at director and partner level. I have heard many reasons why female employees decide to end hugely promising careers, including a lack of flexible programmes to help balance work and family, few female role models and personal mentors, and the changing values of the digital generation. I believe that these reasons – and the statistics that follow in their wake – resonate with women around the world.
Nevertheless, I am overwhelmingly optimistic about the future. Many companies are making great efforts to address these issues and I know from personal experience that it is very difficult to balance life as a parent and businesswoman, but it is possible to achieve fulfilment in both.
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