The actions of the Odebrecht Group Businesses that aim to promote gender equity

March 8^th | International Women’s Day

At the Odebrecht Group, promoting gender equity is a priority. We believe that diversity, including gender diversity, leverages the engagement of people and enhances the generation of results.

A bit of the scenario

Until today there are still many barriers faced by women in the business environment. To have an idea, according to the International Labor Organization, only 39% of worldwide women of productive age are in the labor market. To complement, the wage gap between men and women in the world is 22%, with a large variation between countries, regardless of hierarchical level. In Brazil, a 2018 IBGE survey identified that women spend almost twice as much time with domestic chores as men, even working outside the home.

These are a few figures that show how much we still have to evolve when it comes to gender equity.

Here at the Odebrecht Group

Today we have approximately 6,500 women in the Odebrecht Group. A still low figure compared to the total headcount. The good news is that among the young professionals who are starting their careers in the Group, the percentage of women increases and reaches 50%.

Initiatives adopted by the Businesses demonstrate the Odebrecht Group’s desire not only to increase the number of women hired, but also to offer conditions that prioritize equal opportunities for women and men, both internally and in the communities where the companies operate.

Check out some of these initiatives

Ocyan

In 2019, Ocyan structured a Diversity and Inclusion program, which, from an early perspective, focuses on two pillars: gender equity and people with disabilities.   A committee, formed by executives from support and line areas, follows up and approves the actions and incentives prepared by volunteer members.

The members already have what to celebrate with the program’s progress. One of the actions implemented reinforces the importance and encourages breastfeeding. Now, at Ocyan, in addition to the 120-day maternity leave and the daily break for breastfeeding already provided by the CLT , the member can choose to extend her maternity leave for an additional fifteen days or continue with a reduced day of four hours a day until the baby reaches six months of age. The objective of the new benefit is also to provide members with a gradual and balanced return to performing activities in the company during the period of adjustment to the new reality, valuing the health of the babies, who can stay longer with their mothers before returning to regular work.

Ocyan was also featured in Forbes (click here to read).  The members, Clarisse Rodrigues and Carla Malafaia, occupy leadership positions in one of the company’s drilling rigs, breaking the paradigm in a predominantly male environment.

Braskem

Braskem works daily to become an increasingly inclusive and welcoming company, ensuring equal opportunities for all. Its initiatives are based on five work fronts aimed at the inclusion and empowerment of historically minority groups. On the gender front, Braskem is guided by the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles and the Global Compact.

One of the examples of how Braskem develops programs in this direction is in the Greater ABC, in São Paulo, where it has the “Braskem Female Entrepreneurs” program. The program encourages female entrepreneurship and income generation surrounding its petrochemical pole. Recently, the company started registrations for the second edition. The initiative, conducted in partnership with Rede Mulher Empreendedora , offers 40 vacancies for professional training, economic empowerment and monitoring of professional mentors.

Rayanne Ouriques, 23, a resident of Santo André, tells how the program has helped her increase her business in proportion and income. “Today I know how make my profit grow, invest my working capital and I have a business plan with goals and objectives. As a woman, the program was fundamental to believe in me and in female entrepreneurship”.

Atvos

Committed to promoting gender equity, Atvos joined in 2019 the United Nations’ (UN) Women’s Empowerment Principles.

In Mato Grosso do Sul, Energia Social , the company’s socio-environmental investment program, created “Elo com Elas” , a free course that trains women on how to operate agricultural machinery. The project also includes classes on entrepreneurship, ethics and citizenship, labor legislation, as well as applied and basic mechanics.

Through the Social Energy program, Atvos also encourages female entrepreneurship in the countryside of São Paulo. In Mirante de Paranapanema, the program supported the expansion of Casa de Laticínios da Associação de Mulheres Assentados [Milk Products Home of the Women Settlers’ Association],  which contributes to the expansion of dairy production.

The Odebrecht Foundation

Gender equity is one of the Sustainable Development Objectives (SDOs) on which the Odebrecht Foundation works and it is through its Social Program, PDCIS, that women’s empowerment in the field has been encouraged, especially by example. There are countless stories of women who are occupying important spaces in Bahia’s Southern Lowlands.

Examples such as Rita Cardoso, head of Casa Familiar Agroflorestal , a partner institution of the Foundation. For her, it is essential that young women farmers be aware of their role in society. “What we strengthen in our students is that they can reach anywhere. For this, we have to have an education that is contextualized and empowering, especially in rural areas”.

Being surrounded by independent women makes the difference for Julia Teles. At 17, she is a student at Casa Familiar Rural of Presidente Tancredo Neves . “They are educators, they work in the field and they teach what they have learned. We need to finish with the idea that agriculture is only for men,” she says.

OLI

In Lambayeque, northern coast of Peru, OLI leads H2Olmos, the concessionaire of the Olmos Irrigation Project, currently in progress. The program “Super Chica de Olmos” was created there; it promotes women’s empowerment among the region’s students.

In the program, H2Olmos’ leading members visit the educational centers that surround the project and, through testimonials that tell their life and career stories, inspire their listeners. In turn, children and young people participate in a competition, in which they are invited to answer, by drawing or text, the question “what are your super powers? Thus, with respect and dialogue, H2Olmos intends to contribute to the construction of a more just, egalitarian, prosperous and inclusive society.