01/14/2020

Bertelsmann Promotes Equal Opportunities!

Bertelsmann companies worldwide strengthen equal opportunity in professional life, regardless of gender.

"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights," according to the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In reality, especially in professional life, women are still disadvantaged, as a study by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development shows. Even in Germany, for example, the difference between the average gross hourly earnings of male and female employees is 21 percent. Achieving participation and equal opportunities for all genders is another of the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Goal 5 calls for an end to all forms of discrimination. Bertelsmann companies promote equal opportunities regardless of gender, and thus contribute to achieving this goal.

Equal opportunities for all: Our Diversity Statement and other initiatives

“People's diversity and differences," according to Bertelsmann's core values, the Bertelsmann Essentials, are "crucial to creativity. A diverse workforce is therefore prerequisite to the busi-ness success of the media, services and education company Bertelsmann. For this reason, the Bertelsmann Executive Board adopted a Diversity Statement  in 2019. And so, by 2021, at least 33 percent of top and senior management positions are to be occupied by women.

Penguin Random House US has traditionally had a high proportion of women in its workforce. In 2018, “Forbes" named the company one of the best employers for women  in the U.S. Penguin Random House was the highest-scoring media and advertising company in the ranking. Arvato Systems also places a premium on equal opportunities for men and women in the traditionally male-dominated IT environment. For instance, the women's network "her SystemS" was launched in 2019. The network is aimed at all female employees in the Arvato Systems Group who are interested in networking and exchanging ideas with other female colleagues. RTL Group's production arm Fremantle also promotes equal opportunities, and as of this year is the main sponsor of the British "Women's Prize for Fiction"  , which is awarded exclusively to female authors. The prize was established in 1996 in protest at the fact that not a single woman had been shortlisted for the Booker Prize the previous year. Gruner + Jahr's women's magazine BRIGITTE informs and raises awareness among readers in its "Equality" feature. The magazine also makes a decisive contribution to Germany-wide awareness-building and education with various initiatives such as the women's rights campaign #PinkFirst and the anti-gender pay gap campaign “Wir verdienen mehr!” (We deserve [to earn] more!).

Bertelsmann supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

With the 2030 Agenda adopted in 2015, the international community – under the auspices of the United Nations – committed itself to 17 global goals for a better future. The guiding principle of the 2030 Agenda is to enable a life in dignity for humans worldwide and at the same time to lastingly preserve the natural foundations of life. This includes economic, social, and ecological aspects. The 2030 Agenda underlines the shared responsibility of all stakeholders: politics, business, science, civil society – and every individual. As a member of the UN Global Compact, Bertelsmann supports the 2030 Agenda. Click here  to find out how.