Walking the tightrope of Gender Equality and DEI: Staying the course in an evolving landscape
Gender equality and DEI are at a crossroads. With mounting political and economic pressures, companies face a critical choice—scale back, pause and reassess, or double down and adapt. The stakes are high: stepping back could mean missing out on strategic business opportunities.
We are approaching International Women’s Day amid a shifting discourse where Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies are increasingly perceived as controversial, political and even risky.
Companies across industries are facing mounting pressure to reconsider their commitment to DEI strategies. Evolving political landscapes, shifting funding priorities in the US and Europe, and the rise of global conflicts are creating new complexities for businesses and organisations alike.
Should they scale back on DEI efforts in response to external pressures? Should they pause and reassess? Or should they find ways to reinforce their DEI commitments while adapting to an increasingly uncertain environment?
For us at IDH, we remain steadfast in our belief that gender equality and DEI are essential drivers of market transformation.
To drive sustainable growth in agriculture and business, the unique challenges women face must be addressed, and their rights respected. Gender-transformative approaches are playing a key role in achieving this. For example, companies in our Farmfit portfolio with a more gender-balanced representation among men and women farmers reported lower operational costs, greater service efficiency, and stronger, more resilient business models.
Consider the facts: Women account for 41% of the global agricultural workforce and 37% of the global manufacturing workforce, yet they are 50% less likely than men to have access to productive assets and services. Closing the gender gap in farm productivity and agrifood-system wages could boost global GDP by 1% (nearly USD 1 trillion) and reduce food insecurity by 2%, benefiting 45 million people (FAO 2023). Advancing gender equality in supply chains is not just a moral imperative, or an ideological debate — it is a strategic business opportunity.
At IDH, we see the data, gender equality makes for #betterbusiness.
We have worked alongside companies, financial institutions, and sector leaders to translate our shared gender equality ambitions into action. Through our programs and partnerships, we’ve seen that companies that tailor goods and services to the needs of women, are able to reach a large, underserved market and simultaneously strengthen their supply security. In some cases, tailored service delivery has helped women farmers increase yields by 20-30%.
Beyond the farm, gender diversity in companies can also enhance financial performance by up to 25%, showing the direct economic benefits of fostering inclusive practices (McKinsey, 2020).
Divesting from gender equality initiatives – particularly in agriculture – would be a missed opportunity. The companies that will lead in the coming years are those that recognise inclusive business not only as a driver for building strong economies but also as a strategy to make their business models resilient.
In our work, we strive to go beyond simply integrating gender-inclusive frameworks into interventions — we aim for them to be gender transformative. This means critically examining business models and identifying key leverage points to address and overcome the root causes of gender equality driving meaningful and lasting change. This can involve improving women’s access to information, services, inputs, land and finance as well as challenging deeply ingrained social norms.
As we continue walking this tightrope, balancing ambition with resilience while remaining open to new opportunities, we stay focused on collaboration, building bridges, and creating shared language and solutions.
Now, maybe more than ever, we must keep moving forward—because inclusion strengthens economies, creating a more sustainable future for all.
You can learn more about our gender impact agenda here: https://idh.org/focus-areas/gender-equality