In its bid for gender equity, in early 2019 Asocolflores began gathering gender data from nine floriculture companies, measuring their strengths and weaknesses with the ultimate goal of better empowering women. This process culminated in a pilot plan, “Flowering Together,” which, so far, has the participation of 11 Equilátera-allied companies. The plan’s goals include identifying gender gaps, strengthening management teams in terms of gender equity, and implementing activities that contribute to women’s workforce participation while reducing gender-based violence.
Over the life of the project, more than 5,000 participants and their families will make a positive impact on 20,000 people—including whole communities—in two departments (Cundinamarca and Antioquia) and eight municipalities.
Asocolflores took a step down this path, launching “Flowering Together” during a virtual meeting on April 6. The launch covered the project’s central “pillars” and the companies already committed to participate. The project’s next steps entail creating a sector-wide gender committee and formulating gender equity improvement plans.
Also with the goal of raising awareness of the topic, the launch featured special guest Claudia Palacios, who presented her play, “HemBRujas.” The play follows up a book, in which Ms. Palacios says, “This is a call to men and many women to question and re-think their sexist attitudes and commit themselves to changing behaviors they may not have noticed, or whose negative impact they have overlooked.”
Lastly, Asocolflores prepared to conduct an April 14 workshop, “Looking through the Lens of Gender,” aimed at Asocolflores’ executive board and management team, which began with an explanation of unconscious gender biases and how they stand in the way of gender equality. Naturally, the event concluded with a shared commitment to take further steps to promote gender equity in the sector.
