Global Women's Leadership Network - Pink Paper

1 202 individuals responded to the 2021 GWLN survey. WOMEN IN GWLN ARE ADVANCING AS CREDIT UNION LEADERS The Global Women’s Leadership Network (GWLN) connects, inspires, and empowers women to advance in leadership in the credit union sector. In 2021, GWLN surveyed our membership base to understand the challenges faced by women globally in advancing to leadership positions in the credit union industry, as well as strategies to overcome them. We complemented this by conducting semi- structured interviews with 20 GWLN women credit union leaders, executives, CEOs, and board members from across the globe. We dove deeply into women’s experiences with organizational and systemic gender issues, as well as personal struggles with self-esteem and self-confidence. We invited leaders to describe the impacts GWLN has had on their lives and careers and tell us what more they would like from GWLN. This Pink Paper outlines what credit unions and credit union professionals can do to be part of this global movement. It also shows how GWLN drives impact. Our GWLN credit union leaders: u Invest in women’s careers and their personal development. u Recognize that diverse perspectives make good business sense. u Champion women into board and executive positions. u Mentor and coach women to seize opportunities. u Encourage women to re-write social and cultural scripts that define power and privilege. 4 | 2021 GWLN Pink Paper The GWLN members we surveyed 1 are advancing their leadership in credit unions: 45% APPLIED SKILLS OR KNOWLEDGE GAINED FROM GWLN TO IMPROVE THEIR INSTITUTION’S DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION INITIATIVES 53% REPORT THAT GWLN HAS HELPED ADVANCE THEIR CAREERS OVERALL 36% OF THOSE WHO RECEIVED PROMOTIONS SINCE JOINING GWLN CREDIT THE NETWORK FOR ITS SUPPORT