International Women’s Day has been observed since 1911 – and for over 100 years since, millions of individuals have supported gender equity, celebrated progress and come together to acknowledge the work still to be done. This year’s International Women’s Day theme is #InspireInclusion, which aims to inspire others to understand and value women’s inclusion as well as inspire women themselves to be included. Because when women are inspired to be included, there is a sense of belonging, relevance and empowerment.
We spoke with a diverse group of MCAP employees to understand what it takes to make the mortgage industry more inclusive for women. Here’s what they shared.
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Jessica Roberts What steps can the mortgage industry take to become more inclusive? I have been in the mortgage industry since 2005 and I have seen a lot of positive change over the years. I see a lot more events that are women-friendly and take into consideration their family responsibilities; at MCAP we have a strong women’s group that supports the needs of women in the workplace; and we held a women’s summit last year where people were very invested in its success and in having honest conversations. But I believe there is still work to do. To me, inclusion involves everyone – while there are industry programs that support women in achieving a better work-life balance, I don’t always see the same support for men who want to share parenting responsibility equally. For women to build their careers, they need support from their partners – but those partners need to be included in the discussion to allow for that. Ultimately, I believe that becoming more inclusive involves building on what has been done so far and ensuring that the discussion around inclusion considers all genders, races, and backgrounds. |
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David Greenwood Where are the biggest opportunities to forge inclusion in the mortgage industry? I believe that advancement is an opportunity where I think we are making progress, but we have to continue to focus. When you look at the makeup of most executive teams in this industry, there is not enough representation of women or visible minorities at the table. A big piece in solving this is understanding unconscious bias and making sure we’re addressing it openly and directly. We recently developed an entire program on unconscious bias because a lot of people believe they are inclusive and don’t recognize the biases they’re not consciously aware of having. Acknowledging bias exists, educating ourselves and taking the time to move forward can help open our eyes and lead to a more inclusive workplace from top to bottom. |
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Bunmi Ajagunna Who inspires you to create a more inclusive world for women? I am from Nigerian descent and back home, my mother was the Director of Education. In her role, she advocated for female children and workers. She was the one championing for female children to be in class, to be seen, to be heard, and to be given a seat at the executive table. So, I wanted to grow up to be somebody who would speak for those who couldn’t speak for themselves. Today, I am the chairperson for one of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committees at MCAP and I am passionate about helping women at all stages of their lives – whether they are beginning their career, starting a family, or about to retire. I am an advocate for work-life effectiveness and giving women the chance to be their best at home and at work. And when hiring, I believe in looking at a woman’s potential, character and behaviour over work experience, because a gap in a resume – for raising a family, for instance – should not be a barrier to opportunity. |
To learn more about International Women’s Day including how to get involved, visit www.internationalwomensday.com.
