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Abstract
This article investigates the possibilities of corporate social responsibility (CSR) advancing gender mainstreaming. With the expanding role of the private sector in national and global governance systems, the issue of corporate accountability on social (including gender) issues has become increasingly important. We argue that despite some limitations, CSR provides an important new political space where tools for such accountability are being developed. We describe how CSR now extends beyond the traditional ‘business case’ to encompass new governmental and social drivers. We examine the limitations of the gender content of CSR processes and tools and argue that increased participation by women's organisations in this field is necessary if gender equality is to be addressed by all the main actors in emerging new systems of societal governance.
Notes
1. This sentence continues by addressing the obligations of corporations themselves: ‘Within their respective spheres of activity and influence, transnational corporations and other business enterprises have the obligation to promote, secure the fulfilment of, respect, ensure respect of and protect human rights recognized in international as well as national law, including the rights and interests of indigenous peoples and other vulnerable groups’.
2. Opportunity Now is a UK business-led campaign that works with employers to realise the economic potential and business benefits that women at all levels contribute to the workforce. It has approximately 360 members from the public, private, and educational sectors, of which approximately 170 are from the private sector. Opportunity Now is part of Business in the Community (BITC) which has over 700 member companies networking on responsible business practice. In the UK BITC members employ over one in five of the private sector workforce.
3. This section draws upon Moon Citation(2002a). Empirical illustration for the changes which do not fall into the CSR category can be found in Earles and Moon Citation(2000) and Moon Citation(1999).
4. This approach of distinguishing actors and modes enables us to unpack what is conflated by Lindblom in his Politics and Markets (1977).
5. This point represents a development of the argument in Moon Citation(2002b).
6. In the UK, the Sunday Times ‘Best Companies to Work For’ list now incorporates the government-sponsored Castle Awards for workplace achievements in relation to gender equality, and the Financial Times ‘50 Best Workplaces’ includes information about gender equality.
7. For example see http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2004/Dec/1102937.htm for information on endorsement by Starbucks and Dell.
8. In 2001 the EU published a green paper and, following a period in which views were solicited and collected a CSR Communication was issued (Commission of the European Communities Citation2002).
9. This includes reputation, brand, strategic positioning, alliances, knowledge and human resource management.
10. NAFTA is the North American Free Trade Area, GATS is the General Agreement on Trade in Services, and TRIPS is Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights.
11. This contrasts with the traditional Anglo-American view that companies are primarily accountable to their shareholders and acknowledges the importance of employees, local community members, consumers, and civil society more broadly (e.g. DTI OFR Consultation Document 2003).
12. Whilst there is detailed legislation on equal opportunities (EO) with respect to race and gender, there is no provision for the disclosure by firms of their EO impacts in these areas.
13. The USA, Canada, Sweden and Australia are among the list of countries which have regulation to report, either to government or to the public, on women's position in the workplace.
14. Many other NGOs focus on the conditions for women in the supply chain. See for example the Clean Clothes Campaign at www.cleanclothes.org.
15. Marks and Spencer is one company working on this problem and they presented on this issue at the 2004 Conference on Feminist Economics held by the International Association for Feminist Economics. The Roundtable was entitled ‘Globalisation: Freshly Squeezed: Precarious Employment for Women Working in Supermarkets’ Global Supply Chains'.
16. http://www.wedo.org.
17. E.g. the Johannesburg Stock Exchange requires reporting in accordance with the multi-stakeholder GRI.