Focused conversation: Corporate Citizenship & Women’s Empowerment

The SA8000 is a global social accountability standard for decent working conditions. By awarding certificates to companies that pay fair wages or do not discriminate based on sex, among other things, the SA8000 is a tool for protecting better work conditions for women. Adherence to the SA8000 also increases worker retention, improves product quality, smoothes operations, and eases the handling of internal grievances.

The SA8000 has specific applications for combating real-world barriers to women’s economic empowerment. For example, a factory in southern India used to withhold payment from its female employees to be saved as part of their dowry that they would collect at the end of three years, if they still worked there. This violates the SA8000 commitment to fair wages and preventing forced labor, so any company adhering to the SA8000 has to make sure that factories in their supply chain do not withhold dowry money from female workers.

Although companies may initially think that they cannot change their practices, Endesa, a Spanish energy company, eventually realized that it needed a new strategic approach in order to be sustainable. Management made an external push to adhere to principles for women’s empowerment, as well as for training to raise men’s awareness of social accountability. Examples of corporate practices that contribute to women’s empowerment include: training programs for women who show strong potential for success; ensuring salary equality; and written explanations for hiring decisions whenever the company hires a male job applicant over a female.