Boeing: Committing to Change on International Women’s Day

Originally published on LinkedIn by Uma Amuluru, Chief Compliance Officer and Vice President, Global Compliance at Boeing. Boeing is No. 27 on the 2020 Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list. 

It’s been almost a year since the pandemic changed the world as we know it, and yet somehow it still feels surreal. Like many, I found the line between my professional and personal life completely blurred when COVID-19 forced us out of our workday routines. I spend most days hiding from my children in a closet so I can participate in conference calls without interruption. It’s a demanding time for all of us as we try to balance work and personal responsibilities, and face new challenges that we never anticipated.

One of those challenges is the loss of female talent across the globe. We’ve all read the headlines and heard the disturbing news: the obstacles facing women, especially women of color, have been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is affecting retention and representation at all companies. Women’s jobs are nearly two times more vulnerable to the crisis than men’s jobs, according to the latest study from McKinsey & Company, which also states that women make up 39% of global employment but account for 54% of overall job losses.

To me, this is devastating and unacceptable. I was raised, inspired, and championed by strong women throughout my life. And we all—men and women alike—stand on the shoulders of those who fought to challenge gender stereotypes, biases, and outdated assumptions about gender roles that threaten to hold us back.

Allowing this inequity to continue would jeopardize years of hard-fought progress within our society and deprive our business of the value women bring to work every day. At Boeing, we cannot afford to lose the female talent and trailblazers who innovate and build the future of aerospace.

Now, more than ever, it’s up to all of us to advance gender equity. We need everyone to speak up and challenge stereotypes, biases, and outdated assumptions about gender roles that hold us all back. Together, we can build workplace cultures where everyone is included, respected, and enabled to thrive and advance in their careers.

As a female leader on Boeing’s Executive Council, I am grateful to be in a position to advocate for women across the company. During a discussion with our employee-led Boeing Women Inspiring Leadership Business Resource Group on March 8, I will commit to ensuring that voices of women are heard in leadership discussions, and I will encourage others to raise their voices at every opportunity.

On #InternationalWomensDay and during #WomensHistoryMonth, stand with me and honor the legacy of those who paved the way for us. Let’s choose to listen, support one another, and challenge inequality.

#ChooseToChallenge

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