Company’s efforts in promoting gender equality recognised

Rhodes PNG Ltd is the first construction and engineering company in the world to be recertified with Edge (economic dividends for gender equality), the leading global assessment system for gender equality.
The recertification, which was supported by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, confirms Rhodes PNG’s position as the employer of choice for women in the PNG construction industry.
“This prestigious recertification underscores our deep commitment to gender equality,” Rhodes PNG managing director Emanuel Papas said.
“We are proud of our work to build equity across our team, conferring us the benefits of a gender diverse workforce.”
This achievement comes at a time when the pandemic has been exacerbating gender-based violence.
“Recent research from the IFC, in partnership with the Business Coalition for Women, found family and sexual violence was costing PNG employers almost 10 days of work per employee each year,” Papas said.
Gender inequality is widespread in PNG, presenting significant barriers to growth.
The country ranks 160th out of 161 nations on the United Nations Development Programme’s 2021 Gender Inequality Index.
At the same time, labour productivity is limited by persistent gender gaps in access to education, with women less than half as likely as men to hold paid jobs in the formal sector.
Women also face structural barriers to entering more productive industrial jobs, including in construction.
While Rhodes PNG is currently the only Edge gender certified organisation in PNG, its efforts in addressing issues in relation to gender equality should be an example for other companies in all sectors in PNG and elsewhere.
“Gender equality is great for business, and has been proven to drive productivity, profitability and performance,” IFC resident representative for PNG Markus Scheuermaier said.
“Our work has helped Rhodes achieve and maintain this important standard, and we hope that other PNG businesses will also invest in gender equality.”
Edge evaluates companies’ workplace gender equality performance against global and industry benchmarks.