Study on non-legislative initiatives for companies to promote gender ...

80 Gender equality initiatives
number of women in management and board positions. This concerns
organisations / companies within the Federation of Norwegian Agricultural Co-operatives
(FNAC).
Another way to publicise the issue of gender equality in the workplace, is to not only
award companies with a high commitment in implementing positive measures, but to
also reproach companies which do not pursue gender equality in the workplace and
make this public.
In Denmark, there is a very remarkable prize called “K2 prisen & K2 næsen” (K2
reward & K2 reproach). The K2 reward and K2 reproach is an integrated part of the K2
network’s efforts to increase the number of women managers in the Danish media
sector. The K2 network is a network of women in journalist or journalist-like jobs that
are or wish to become managers in the media sector. The background for establishing
the network in 2006 was the gender gap in management, especially in top management,
in the Danish society in general and in the media sector in particular. Moreover,
the founders of the K2 network perceived managerial practice in the media sector as
outdated and out of sync with the professionalization of management.
The K2 reward/reproach consists of two awards. The K2 reward is awarded to a person
or media enterprise that has put extraordinary efforts into promoting women in top
management. The K2 reproach is awarded an enterprise that has done nothing or the
opposite of promoting women in management, and/or has taken actions or submitted
statements discouraging equal representation. Candidates for the reward/reproach are
suggested by the members of the K2 network. Thus, the background for nomination is
experience at first hand by female journalists in the Danish media sector. The nominators
remain anonymous. The candidates suggested and the reasons and arguments for
nomination are evaluated by the K2 network steering committee, and the names of the
nominated are published in a press release.
The K2 steering committee then selects a total of six candidates, three for each award.
The reward is a sculpture and the reproach is a diploma and a placement on the “K2
observation-list”. Candidates are invited to participate in the award ceremony. To stress
the responsibility of management, the reward/reproach is presented to top managers of
media enterprises. Following the presentation of the reward/reproach, the winner/loser
is invited to thank/excuse/explain/discuss the granting of the award. This is followed by
a debate on the unequal distribution of gender in management in the media sector.
The reward/reproach is not awarded solely on the basis of strict criteria. One of the
purposes of the reward/reproach is to have a direct or short term impact on the representation
of women in management. The strategic element is, of course, especially
taken into consideration when K2 presents the reproach. Therefore, in practice the
reward/reproach is presented according to the criteria mentioned in point one below in
combination with a more “soft” qualitative assessment based on the issues mentioned
in point 2 to 4.
1) The reward/reproach is granted to enterprises and top managers that have done the
most/least for a more equal representation, have/have not taken action, have created
results/have developed in the “wrong” direction, recognise/do not recognise equal
representation as important or have submitted statements promoting/discouraging a
more equal gender representation in management, especially top management.