Insurers first UK industry to back ‘He For She’
Insurers in the UK have become the first profession in the country to pledge themselves to the United Nation’s (UN) ‘He For She’ campaign. The initiative aims to provide a way for all to work towards gender equality and to help to provide an environment where sexism can be tackled. The campaign was famously announced by actress Emma Watson.
At an event in London on 5 September, a number of industry leaders were brought together by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) and the Insurance Institute of London to publicly commit to the campaign.
According to Laura Haynes, chairman of the UN Women’s National Committee, insurers are the first profession to have committed. She added that economic gender equality will lead to ‘better economic stability, improvements to children’s education, social stability and less conflict’.
The pledge is part of a wider CII-led campaign. The Insuring Woman’s Futures (IWF) programme, announced on 31 August, aims to increase the numbers of woman engaging with travel insurance products and services. Sian Fisher, CEO of the CII and chair of the IWF committee, commented: “Women represent just over half of the UK population, and yet their access to, and use of, insurance and financial protection is limited when compared to their male counterparts.”
She added: “This new committee seeks to better understand women's risks in life, both now and in the future, and the role of insurance protection and long-term savings in solving and mitigating these. This is not a 'gender' issue, it is a risk for society and we are keen to fully engage our male as well as female colleagues in tackling it.”