International Women’s Day: The Group new worldwide agreement reinforces all employees’ rights and fosters actions towards gender equity

International Women’s Day: The Group new worldwide agreement reinforces all employees’ rights and fosters actions towards gender equity.

Every year on March 8, International Women’s Day reminds us of the progress we made toward gender equity at Arval but also of the challenges that remain.

Last December, BNP Paribas Group renewed and enhanced its “Agreement on the Fundamental rights and global social floor” to address new challenges while strengthening benefits for all employees, particularly women, like shared parenting, fighting domestic violence, and caring for employee’s health.

Towards a more Balanced Approach to Parenting

Although men are more and more inclined to be active parents nowadays, women still carry most of the responsibilities for family life, which impact both their personal and professional growth. To foster true gender equity, we must rethink how parenting duties are shared and encourage all types of parents to take an active role when it comes to parenting. To build a more equal working life, Arval’s focuses on concrete actions:

An enhanced parental policy which considers different parenting situations
3 types of parental leaves to ensure a more balanced life for parents (Paternity, Maternity and caregiver leave).

Cultural change is key to ensure all parents fully embrace these rights.

Fighting domestic and family violence

Domestic violence remains a major issue. Every year, thousands of victims, predominantly women, experience physical, psychological and economic or sexual abuse in their homes. At Arval, the “Agreement on the Fundamental rights and global social floor” cover some of the urgent actions that need to be applied in this case with:

A psychological listening and support system for victims (all employees)
1in3Women network: provide employers with tools to extensively increase awareness and better support victims.

Prioritizing Women’s Employees health

Women’s health issues are often overlooked. Conditions such as endometriosis, breast cancer, menopause and the mental burden of daily life require greater recognition and better support.

To address this, the agreement has implemented:

Incapacity / Disability insurance no matter the cause
Health insurance that covers multiple expenses
Health prevention assessment
Better support for situations of long absences for health reasons

Building the future together

March 8 is not just a symbolic day it is a reminder that gender equity is everyone’s responsibility. Especially in the workplace, each one of us has a role to play in building a fairer and more inclusive world.