BCRA Ratified Endorsement for the National Program IGUALAR

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the BCRA has made an organizational diagnosis about women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) equality in the BCRA from an analytic, strategic and preventive viewpoint. This action is part of the BCRA´s commitment to the National Program IGUALAR carried out by the Argentine Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity to bridge the gender gap and segregation in the workplace.

President Miguel Ángel Pesce opened a virtual ceremony held for the BCRA’s staff by stating: “in times of profound cultural changes we must commit to building consensus and fight inequalities”.

Betina Stein and Claudia Berger, members of the Board, were part of the drafting process and shared some remarkable data from the report:

• 55% of the BCRA’s staff are recorded as men, and 45% as women.

• 65.8% of women are professionals, as opposed to 52.7% of men.

• The higher level of professionalization and qualification do not result in greater access to senior positions by women. From August 1, 2019 to July 31, 2020, 62% of promoted employees were men, while the remaining 38% were women.

Stein asserted: “we are living a turning point where State’s policies seek to fight gender violence and discrimination.” In turn, Berger highlighted: “the BCRA´s regulations seek to raise awareness and provide guidelines to bridge the gap and encourage plurality and diversity.”

Pilar Escalante, Deputy Secretary of Policies on Equality, under the Argentine Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity, said: “To think about how inequalities occur in the workplace is essential to pave the way for preventing violence and to cast light on unrecognized, invisible and unpaid work.” Then, Paula Monteserín, coordinator of the National Program for Gender Equality in the Workplace, Employment and Production, asserted: “a work plan for training and raising awareness within an organization is vital to make real changes.”

Last, Celeste Perosino, Promotion of Gender Policies, Respect and Appropriate Workplace Behavior Manager, added: “International Women’s Day is the right time to celebrate the fights we have already won and to think collectively about the fights we will get involved in to conquer new rights.”

Throughout 2020, the BCRA did several activities regarding gender and diversity, such as training, awareness-raising workshops, and a protocol for handling cases of violence, among others. Also, it laid down good practices for financial institutions: gender parity in executive positions, and adopted equality and inclusion criteria regarding gender stereotypes in advertising, under Communication A7100 and Communication A7162.

March 8, 2021