Each year in March, we take a day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women around the world. International Women’s Day gives us a reason not only to reflect on the progress we’ve made, but also to look at the path ahead and at the work that we have yet to do.
As the 21st century marches on and we continue to make strides towards diversity and equality, we must commit to advancing equality and representation of women—both in the workplace and society. While we’ve made great headway over the past century, there is still much work to be done. We must accelerate the agenda for change.
“Let us devote solid funding, courageous advocacy and unbending political will to achieving gender equality around the world. There is no greater investment in our common future.” — UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon
Success in Diversity
Innovation requires diversity. Diverse experiences, backgrounds, and ideas produce better business results and yield greater innovation. Without diversity, innovation is incomplete. Research shows that an optimized workforce is linked to higher GDP, more productivity, and more prosperity, and organizations with gender balanced leadership benefit from better all-around performance. That’s why, at OpenText, we strive to challenge standards and change the status quo when it comes to equality and diversity within our workforce every day. We continuously work to put the same level of innovation we bring to our products towards creating innovative diversity initiatives and raising the industry standard.
In an ongoing effort to reduce gender disparity, we support a number of initiatives throughout the year. Sponsoring and attending events like the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing allows OpenText to play an active role in bringing the research and career interest of women in technology to the forefront while investing in our own employees. And, by participating in movements like the Hour of Code, we are able to introduce young women in our community to the exciting field of computer science and plant the seed of a future in technology at an early age. As Marie-Eve Racicot, Director of R&D at OpenText shared in an interview with The Globe and Mail, “It’s important for girls to know that there are opportunities available to them…The more women working in technology today, the more role models we will have for the next generation.”
While International Women’s Day may be a one-day event, it is important to recognize that it requires a year-round commitment. In the words of Amelia Earhart, “The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity.” Let us be tenacious in our quest to make a profound and lasting change for the betterment of the equality and posterity of women.
I urge you to join me and my colleagues as we commit to work together to provide equitable and fair opportunities that further diversity objectives and close the gender gap.
On behalf of OpenText—and organizations all around the world—I’d like to recognize and celebrate women in the many ways in which they make our companies, our lives, and the world a better place.
