Insight ReportClosing the Gender Gap: The Gender Parity TaskforcesMarch 2015 World Economic Forum®2015 - All rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system.The views expressed are those of certain participants in the discussion and do not necessarily reflect the views of all participants or of the World Economic Forum.REF090315 ContentsPreface3 Preface4 Context6 Public-Private Collaboration for Gender Parity6 Collaboration Mechanism7 Expected Impact7 Taskforces In-Depth7 The Mexico Gender Parity Taskforce 10 The Turkey Gender Parity Taskforce12 The Japan Gender Parity Taskforce14 The Korea Gender Parity Taskforce16 Conclusion17 AcknowledgementsClosing the Gender Gap: The Gender Parity Taskforces3A nation’s competitiveness depends, among other things, on how well it educates and utilizes its talent. Similarly, an organization’s performance is determined by the human capital that it possesses and its ability to use this resource efficiently. Companies that successfully engage women may reap a rich diversity dividend, and countries that integrate more women into education and the workforce often see returns in the form of growth, competitiveness and social cohesion. As gender parity becomes a strategic priority for organizations and governments, demand is increasing for benchmarking tools and best practice exchange and collaboration mechanisms that help to close the economic gender gap. The World Economic Forum’s Gender Parity Programme, one of 10 Global Challenge Initiatives at the Forum, seeks to address these needs. Through the Global Gender Gap Report, the World Economic Forum quantifies the magnitude of gender-based disparities and tracks their progress over time. In addition, our digital repository of best practices to close gender gaps in companies serves as a gateway for those seeking to implement such practices in their own organizations. Building on these practical tools, as well as the strong momentum among government and business leaders to drive change, the Forum launched Gender Parity Taskforces in Mexico, Turkey, Japan and the Republic of Korea to create platforms for public-private collaboration to integrate more women into the economy. The taskforces seek to integrate more women into the economy in each of the four countries and to serve as potential role models for others considering the most effective approaches to closing gender gaps.This report provides an overview of the taskforce model and an initial assessment of progress to date. We would like to express our deep appreciation to the Gender Parity Taskforce Co-Chairs for their leadership and vision in executing this unique and innovative approach to closing gender gaps. We are also thankful to the Gender Parity Programme’s Partners, the project teams that have supported this work inside the Forum and the many stakeholders that have contributed to this work in Mexico, Japan, Turkey and the Republic of Korea. Two years into these unique experiments it is clear that policy efforts must be complemented by private sector actions to address gender gaps and that the public and private sectors can maximize the effectiveness of their efforts to close the gender gap through continual dialogue and common targets. As we prepare for the third and final year of the taskforces in their present form, it is our hope that this report will serve as a starting point for others to consider public-private collaboration as a critical mechanism for accelerating the integration of women into the economy. Richard SamansManaging Director and Member of the Managing Board Saadia Zahidi Senior Director, Head, Gender Parity Programme and Head, Employment, Skills and Human Capital 4Closing the Gender Gap: The Gender Parity TaskforcesContextEfficient talent management is becoming an important strategic area for the success of multinational and local businesses across the globe. In particular, there is a growing business case for gender diversity. One aspect of this “business case” centres on consumption. As women become more economically independent, they also become more significant consumers of goods and services, including for the majority of purchasing decisions of the household. The combined impact of growing gender equality, the emerging middle class and women’s spending priorities is expected to lead to rising household savings rates and shifting spending patterns, affecting sectors such as food, healthcare, education, childcare, clothing, consumer durables and financial services. Another aspect of the “business case” centres on talent. In many countries, women account for more than half of the college and university graduates. As they begin to take up half of the entry-level positions in several industries, it is a loss for companies if these highly skilled women are forced to choose between work