Print Gender equality

Dilemma:
Adopting best practice principles
Name:
The Chemicals Industries Development
Sector:
Pharmaceutical
Locations:
Egypt

The Chemical Industries Development (CID) is a leading Egyptian company in the production of pharmaceutical products. It produces 28 different therapeutic groups for human use. As part of its commitment to promoting Gender Equality (GE) within the company, CID is one of the companies that joined the Gender Equity Model in Egypt (GEME). Its commitment is reflected in many of the best practices that the company has adopted to promote GE. First, the company created formal documentation of the existing GE policy. CID’s low drop-out rates of working mothers within the company is largely attributed to its affiliated subsidized day-care. The company also emphasizes equal pay for both males and females, and stresses the importance of one’s qualifications for recruitment. CID’s senior management is highly supportive of the GEME. As a result, CID included training on GE in its yearly training plan provided during working hours. Moreover, the training manuals were placed in the library for easy employee reference. An additional manual was developed to include all GE policies and was distributed across all departments. Lastly, an e-mail address was created through which all employees and workers can direct their suggestions and inquiries to the Gender Equity Committee, besides having a complaints box for easy placement of complaints.