Can you imagine that it will take 217 years to achieve gender equality in the world? 217 years...

This is what the World Economic Forum forecasts. And data shows that the gender gap is widening every day.

At Sodexo, we can do better. We can improve Quality of Life for everyone, faster, because empowering women empowers us all.
 
As one International Women's Day a year isn't enough, the purpose of this year is to press for progress, this is why:

We're making every day International Women's Day

International Women's Day (IWD) is traditionally a day dedicated to the celebration of the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future.

Celebrated each 8 March worldwide, IWD is the opportunity to showcase the great work we are doing with our gender balance commitments as well as strengthen our visibility and notoriety as a global brand.  

Since the creation of Sodexo, our mission has been to improve quality of life of our employees and all who we serve and to contribute to the economic, social and environmental development of the communities, regions and countries in which we operate. As a company that promises to improve quality of life of people, corporate responsibility lies at the core of everything we do.

This is also true for gender balance and the advancement of women Sodexo has always placed at the heart of its economic, social and environmental development.

Sodexo undertakes many ambitious initiatives to further this goal, including training, mentoring, creating gender networks and raising awareness about gender-related issues. In nine years, the percentage of women in Group Senior Leaders has risen from 17% to 32% in 2017 while women now make up 50% of the Board of Directors.

The cornerstone of Sodexo’s gender strategy is the Sodexo Women's International Forum for talent, SWIFt, an advisory board dedicated to promoting women's advancement. SWIFt brings together 34 senior leaders representing 17 different nationalities from 4 continents and all areas of the organization. Facilitated by a ten-member Steering Committee, this group aims to increase women's representation in leadership positions through tangible initiatives with 4 objectives:

• Reach 40% women among Sodexo's top senior leaders by 2025;
• Increase the number of women in operations;
• Create a culture of Inclusion;
• Serve as role models and advocates for gender diversity.