Equality | 'One day will not move the dial', says Mulberry's Head of Rec

While many employers across the UK will have put in place activities and initiatives to mark International Women’s Day (IWD) this year, one recruitment head has shared that one day alone is not enough to stamp out gender inequality in the workplace.

Sarah Roberts, Head of Recruitment at luxury fashion company Mulberry, explained to HR Grapevine that “this is a continuous journey of improvement, and activity on one day of the year will not move the dial”.

Each year IWD is celebrated on March 8 and continues to be commemorated because gender inequality still persists. For example, the gender pay gap is still a growing issue, violence against women continues to rise and the number of female leaders in senior positions is still much less than men.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the gender pay gap among all employees was 15.5% in 2020, a decrease from 17.4% in 2019. These figures are promising to see, however it is clear more work needs to be done to close the gap.