Linking business's gender and diversity practices with corporate citizenship: Implications for Latin America

This article surveys reasons and methods for incorporating gender and diversity practices within the broader framework of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The strength and details of the business case for a focus on gender and diversity should vary with a company's profile. Recruiting and motivating to maximize employee productivity is a commonly understood aspect of the business case for promoting diversity but increasingly companies also understand that diversity can help grow sales and improve customer satisfaction, help risk management and enhance creativity and flexibility in organizational processes leading to better problem-solving. In Latin America, while CSR practices are gaining ground, gender and diversity is not typically seen as a strong component. Instead corporate CSR tends to focus on community relations or environmental sustainability. The article outlines aspects of the Latin American landscape suggesting strong potential rewards for companies to pursue CSR by focusing more on gender and diversity.