Conference Equal Pay Day 2025
Topic - POTENTIAL

REGISTRATION | space for informal networking

Lenka Šťastná, prezidentka Business & Professional Women CR

I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT A PROBLEM IN WHICH I STILL SEE AN OPPORTUNITY
or how to build a successful organization that has a positive impact

If you gather your courage, you have sufficient perseverance, you do not want to accept that the country where you live is one of the worst in terms of the difference in remuneration between women and men, and you see potential that is not being expressed and used everywhere around you, then you have only two options – look a different direction or look the truth straight in the eye and say ‘I am going for it, I am going for a change’. This is the only way how things can change.
16 years ago, Lenka Šťastná did this and initiated Business & Professional Women CR, as well as the awareness about gender pay gap in the Czech Republic. Her goal was to find answers to the question: ‘Why should the Czech Republic be a country with one of the highest gender pay gaps?’.
Over the long 16 years, she did not stay only with this question, but she initiated dozens of projects that opened up potential in many areas, especially social responsibility, corporate culture and its development, the visibility of women or entrepreneurship and business.

HOW TO GET THE CZECH REPUBLIC TO THE 1ST PLACE and use the energy hidden in equal opportunities for women and men

The Czech Republic is constantly falling behind in many areas. We often distrust international comparisons, but they should rather inspire us. According to Global Gender Gap Index 2024, the Czech Republic is in 104th place, while four years ago it was 78th place. Are we sufficiently aware of all the impacts this has on the society? Are we not tripping over our own feet by ignoring the topic of equality between women and men?
And how do change and innovation leaders from the business environment see it? What and how do they do differently or how can they inspire others? How can we move the Czech Republic forward?

WHERE IS THE WORLD GOING?

A panel discussion of ambassadors will help us to be ‘out of the box’ and perceive what are the priorities of individual countries from different continents, how they achieve them and what they actually do for them. Do they see the topic of equal opportunities for women and men as a potential for the development of the countries they represent? Where are they losing their breath so far? Where are they among the first? What does it mean for a company to make a decision to not to address the topic of the position of women and men in society and vice versa? What are the strategies in education, business, family and professional development? And what key decision has moved a particular country significantly forward?

GENDER PAY GAP DOES (NOT) BELONG TO THE SOCIETY

Gender pay gap in the Czech Republic has long been double-digit to the detriment of women. But it is more than just a statistical indicator. We can observe much wider problems and opportunities for women and men in the economy. We do not like to talk about money, but without doubt, it is an essential condition for life and the development of potential. When will we step over our own shadow? What is coming in the legislation? What to prepare for in various roles, whether as an employee, entrepreneur, company or state? Do not be surprised.

MEASURE, SOLVE, RAISE – FOR A SUCCESSFUL CORPORATE/SOCIAL STRATEGY

ESG, reporting, transparency, PR and positive brand image, or simply a pragmatic decision that we will not accept a gender pay gap in our country. What is the message from companies that have chosen the harder path and are not afraid to show that they are simply fair? How can you reach this decision and who will benefit from it? Does turning to topics of equal opportunities for women and men within the company make business sense? And why would the company prefer not to hire many poorly paid women, as it is often said on social networks and forums about the gender pay gap?

WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP, AGAIN?!

Legislators, high-ranking officials or managers, all these are masculine in Czech. In this regard, the Czech Republic ranks 104th place according to the Global Gender Gap Index 2024. Is not this an area where we are losing the POTENTIAL of women? And is everyone tired of topics calling for the empowerment of women and programs to support their growth into decision-making positions in 2025? The data shows that we think we are much better off than we really are. Women represent 50% of the population, but it is still not obvious that 50% of them are represented in decision-making positions. What impact does this have or could have on everyday or corporate live? And where is the core of the problem?

JOINING FORCES FOR GENDER EQUALITY

OECD countries continue to struggle with persistent gender inequalities in social and economic life. Young women often achieve higher levels of education than young men, but remain underrepresentčed in the most lucrative fields. Women spend more time in unpaid work, face a strong ‘penalty’ for motherhood, encounter obstacles in entrepreneurship and generally fare worse in the labor market. Women are also underrepresented in politics or in leadership positions. This applies to all areas and economic sectors, from international trade and development aid to energy and environment.
Promoting gender equality is not just a moral imperative. In an era of rapidly aging populations, low birth rates are multiple crises, it is precisely equality between women and men that will strengthen future economic growth and social cohesion.

BANQUET | NETWORKING

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE

ENTREPRENEURIAL POTENTIAL – TO BE OR NOT TO BE entrepreneur in the Czech Republic

⅓ of all entrepreneurs in the Czech Republic are women. Is that too much or too little? What will happen to an economy that is not driven by entrepreneurial ideas and energy invested in entrepreneurship? What if the fact that we do not awaken the potential of women and do not support the passion for entrepreneurship is a reason for the stagnation of the Czech Republic? What is it like to be an entrepreneur in the Czech Republic? And what should or could it be?

I AM NOT A SNOWFLAKE

Can the Czech Republic use the potential of the young generation? And how do young women and men live in the Czech Republic? What topics are actually IN and what topics are completely OUT? Do young successful people want to return from abroad and develop their professional lives in the Czech Republic, or do they see barriers not only for developing their careers, and how does this fit in with the topic of equal opportunities and the gender pay gap? How are career dreams built and where are the obstacles? What are the expectations and what is the reality? Can we afford not to listen to the voice of the younger generation?

OWN RULES. THE STORY OF A BRAND THAT CONQUERS THE WORLD

Do you have dreams of global success? And do you know that it does not have to be just a dream? The Czech Republic needs new leaders (not only men, but also women) with ideas that will appeal to the world. You can inspire yourself by a person whose dream has become a reality. What does it take to succeed? And is the topic of equal opportunities a topic even at the top of business and when is it an opportunity?

IS IT ABOUT PEOPLE? WE ARE CHANGING THE RULES TO STAY IN THE GAME FOR THE GREATEST TALENT

Do companies realize the importance of fighting for the greatest talents and creating an environment for them that can fully develop their potential? How do leaders (men and women) of top HR management see current trends and what do they have to do to maintain competitiveness and attractiveness for people? What barriers do they see for career development and how do they break them down? Can a global company afford not to reflect on the agenda of equal opportunities for women and men? What does it expect from the country where it operates and what must happen in order for the labor market to be free from all prejudices?

WHAT ARE THE REAL RULES OF THE GAME? ARE THE LEGAL RULES NEUTRAL?

Does the current legal order treat women and men equally?

CZECH ECONOMY IN PROBLEMS, PROBLEMS OF THE CZECH ECONOMY

The Czech economy is in problems, at a crossroads, in a reboot… we have heard it many times. Are we not forgetting the essential aspects when solving the economic growth inequality? Is there a hidden potential in the topic of equal opportunities that is not being used because the topic is not taken seriously? What policies are we missing for the development of the economy? Who or what will ultimately move the potential of the Czech Republic?

COFFEE BREAK

OVERCOMING STEREOTYPES AND PREJUDICES: HOW TO START WITH YOURSELF

What concrete steps can we take in our daily lives to eliminate more than just gender stereotypes? How can stereotypes and prejudices affect careers even in successful companies, although they may not always be obvious at first glance? This problem is not just about individual cases, but about overall cultural and organizational patterns. The difference between conscious and unconscious bias and how it often manifests itself in everyday decision-making, from performance evaluations to the selection of candidates for positions. How to overcome classic bias – gender stereotypes (e.g. the expectation that women are better at communication, while men are better at technical skills) or “invisible” barriers (e.g. the assumption that women are not interested in careers in management or technology). Prejudices can not only affect decision-making in companies, but also cause stagnation in career growth, lower self-esteem and a lack of opportunities for women (even if they are qualified).

YOUR VOICE CAN BE A POWERFUL TOOL FOR CHANGE, NOT JUST FOR YOU, BUT FOR THE WHOLE SOCIETY
A panel discussion of Czech politicians (women and men) as drivers of topics and practical policies that affect the entire society

The Czech Republic has long been at the bottom of global comparisons in terms of the representation of women and men in politics. Politics is not just about legislative decisions, but about its ability to truly change people’s lives, especially those who have been historically neglected. And gender equality and equal opportunities are the key not only to a fairer society, but also to a strong and competitive economy. We need to create policies that ensure that women are not already disadvantaged when entering the labor market. The low representation of women in political positions leads to uneven representation and lower diversity of opinions in decision-making processes, how does this affect our presence? What decisions and what topics should be addressed and are not? Why be interested in politics? And what happens if you stop being interested?

HOW TO ENSURE EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES IN AN INCREASINGLY DIGITIZED AND AUTOMATED WORLD?

Digital revolution for all: How to ensure equal opportunities in an automated world? How can AI change our view of the topic of equal opportunities and what will happen to those who do not catch the onset of trends in time? Are we ready for the POTENTIAL of technological changes, or are they beyond us. How exactly to proceed and are women part of the digital revolution? Are STEM fields not for women or is it already a cliché today? What should you definitely prepare (not prepare) for? Is it utopia, that digital tools and technologies can be used to eliminate pay gaps, to ensure transparency of remuneration and to create more equal working conditions for all?

MEN AND WOMEN IN BALANCE: How partner care for children and the home becomes the basis for a successful career and the development of POTENTIAL

How shared care between partners and active involvement of men in parenting responsibilities can improve not only family life, but also work performance, satisfaction and overall work-life balance. How new generations of men are changing their perspective on family and household care and why it is important for companies to reflect this change and offer flexible working conditions that enable a balance between personal and work life. How a new generation of men is redefining work, family and success. How adapting working conditions supporting work-life balance is changing the dynamics of corporate culture, and how active involvement of men in family care can become a fundamental pillar of this transformation.
TheCzech Republic is still very conservative in its view of work-life balance, parental leave is the domain of women and it is women who play the main role in the area of care, is this necessarily the best way?

EQUALITY AS THE NEW STANDARD

To truly implement equality as the standard, we need to rethink and transform the structures that support inequality.

What can we do?

• Introduce legislative changes with a direct impact on wages and rewards
• Introduce salary transparency in the public and private sectors
• Support women in technology and innovation fields
• Equality at all levels – from schools to management positions
• Flexible working conditions as the normal standard
• Support shared parenting responsibilities between men and women
• … or something completely different…?

CLOSING CEREMONY OF THE CONFERENCE

NETWORKING, BUSINESS MEETING, TALK – kickstart your future with cooperation!