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Last update: 08/03/2022
No sector of our society can be understood without gender equality. Therefore, companies and institutions focus on gender diversity as a key factor within our reason for being. At Santander, we are working to achieve equal opportunities both within and outside our organisation; and to celebrate International Women’s Day, we have signed up to the #BreakTheBias global campaign.
On the road to diverse equality, we are all important
All together in building a more balanced future
We should never shy away from bringing backgrounds, skills and perspectives that complement one another helping us be more creative and fresher in the solutions we create, and gender diversity is a key part of overall diversity goals”
I’m convinced that not having a diverse and inclusive workplace is not an option anymore
With the aim of achieving effective equality, we have publicly committed to achieve several targets by 2025. One of these commitments was to have female representation on the board of between 40% and 60% by 2021; we achieved that and we still maintain it, with 40%, which is well above the average in large listed companies in both Spain and Europe. Moreover, we have also proposed to reach 30% of women in senior management (currently 26.3%). According to data from the consultancy Grant Thornton in its “Women in business 2021” report, worldwide, 31% of management team members are women, compared to 29% in 2019.
In addition, as a responsible bank, we have a strategic plan on diversity, equity and inclusion, from which various programmes arise to promote equality among our employees in the countries in which we operate. These initiatives are designed to promote a work-life balance, recruitment, professional development, equal pay and to raise awareness. We also form part of other projects such as the gender equality accelerator programme of the UN Global Compact.
Our commitment to gender equality places us among the top 10 most advanced companies (the first bank) in the world in this regard according to the 2022 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index.
Initiatives to promote equality
Santander supports many projects worldwide for female entrepreneurs, in order to promote female talent and leadership. Around 5,500 employees from ten countries are already part of our Santander Women Network. Male presence has increased by 140% at the corporate centre alone. This network is also being created in seven other geographies.
Therefore, the support from our business areas is essential for building an organisation where equality is not an objective, but a reality. For example:
- Mujeres con S. This is a mentoring programme aimed at accelerating women’s careers through a process of professional and personal growth that is based on participants’ shared experiences. Santander provides the participants with the necessary tools to carry out a mentoring and networking process over six months. During this time, a social network is created between high-level professionals (mentors) and those who aspire to emulate them (mentees).
- Women in Tech. This initiative is part of the Be Tech programme which aims to attract female technological and digital talent, so as to promote the digital transformation of the business. There were over 1,000 participants in its first Summit.
- “De Mujer a Mujer” programme. This project, carried out together with Fundación Integra, aims to support female victims of gender violence when looking for a job. Through a mentoring process with 15 Santander employees, more than 80% of the participants who have been part of the various editions held since 2017 have been able to enter the job market.
- Tuiio. This programme provides low-income, underbanked people with services and products with a high digital component, including custom loans, savings products and insurance. In 2021, Tuiio supported 264,000 micro-entrepreneurs, who formed part of the one million we helped throughout the Group with other initiatives such as Prospera in Brazil; Banca Women in Argentina; and Generation 81 in Spain. Of these 264,000 micro-entrepreneurs, 72% were women.
- Events in favour of gender equality. Although Mexico will hold various meetings in relation to this social objective throughout the year, on this occasion, to celebrate International Women’s Day, it offers an agenda full of events with female role models from outside and within Santander, such as Young Leaders – which will lead the “Mujeres impulsando mujeres” (“Women helping women”) panel.
- Promoting Female Leadership. This initiative aims to enhance the skills and expertise of women in senior management and executive positions at Santander, so as to promote gender equity in senior positions. In 2021, 200 employees participated in this initiative.
- Events in favour of gender equality. In order to celebrate International Women’s Day, this year, the US subsidiary has prepared several meetings such as “Your Path to Promotion” with executive speaker and coach Kim Carpenter and “EmpowHER Signature Event: Promoting Healing and Projecting Hope”, consisting of a discussion panel with expert female leaders who form part of the organisation, to discuss ways to build a more inclusive workplace.
- New Friends New Life volunteer programme. This is a virtual race, organised by the Circle of Friends (COF) Auxiliary Group, held annually to support efforts to end sex trafficking.
- IT With Female Eye. This project focuses on promoting the professional careers of women in IT, an area that, despite its high demand at present, also has a significant gender gap.
- Santander Women podcast. Users can listen to podcasts of discussions held with special female guests about decision-making in times of crisis. This format is also used for the playlist created on Spotify to celebrate International Women’s Day.
- Responsible leadership. This is a programme aimed at raising the awareness among senior management of the importance of supporting and promoting diversity in each and every division and business area.
#BreakTheBias: our employees have joined the movement
