By: Fabiola Sáenz
Within the framework of the commemoration of International Women’s Day, multiple contents of transcendence with a gender focus resonate in my mind, such as female leadership, sisterhood, perseverance and self-love, with which I also feel a great identity. However, the orientation of the present reflection is directed to a field that has been awakening but that demands sensitization, projection and evolution in favor of gender welfare. This is what is currently known as business integrity.
The professional field for women demands immense challenges, since we must overcome many obstacles and inequalities. The battles fought by the courageous women who have paved the way for equality and equity have undoubtedly allowed us to be successful in the labor field today. The journey has been arid and vertiginous, however, a route has been traced to achieve the longed-for transformation that will bring about equal opportunities for women.
Within the business environment, a metamorphosis is taking shape under a vision of probity, encompassing aspects not only related to gender equity but also to other transcendental issues such as environmentally friendly practices, sustainability, human rights, health and well-being, and even innovation. It has been understood that it is not only important to maintain compliance with rules and regulations, but it is also of utmost importance to promote business ethics as a value of trust and legitimacy for organizations.
What does this business integrity consist of?
If we start from the origin of the word integrity, it is associated with terms such as honesty, rectitude, morality or purity. It is that virtue that endows whoever possesses it with a special value, a quality that generates respect and admiration in others. Historically, integrity has been conceived as that virtue instilled at home, but the vision of giving it life and scope in the business environment is undoubtedly a huge advance in society, which denotes an awareness that such correction should be both at the personal and organizational level. The author C.S. Lewis has a very apt description of integrity, which he defines as “doing the right thing even when no one is watching”. If we endow business environments with that righteousness, morality and transparency, where we seek to do the right thing even if it is only for our eyes, we will be sowing the seeds of progress for multiple fields of humanity.
As a woman, mother and professional, I wish that the spaces where these values are encouraged and promoted to inform, educate and transform business cultures with a view to a more just, equitable and sustainable nation are exalted. The gender issue certainly fits within the aspects that must be addressed and improved in order to achieve a world where girls, adolescents and women can develop in professional ecosystems that respect and guarantee their rights. Promote the eradication of unconscious biases that limit the growth of women, definitively eliminate glass ceilings, create and put into effective action codes of ethics that safeguard equal opportunities for women, where circumstances such as sexual harassment and sexual favors have no place in business environments, allowing all of the above to women, to shine with full splendor.
Let us reflect on this day on how our individual and corporate decisions affect our community, and promote the unquestionable relevance of ethical practices in the business environment, modeling exemplary atmospheres for gender equity.