March 8, International Women's Day, is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity*1. Every March, the Sony Group holds an event for employees to commemorate International Women's Day. To celebrate International Women's Day in 2023, a lecture was organized on the theme of Thinking together with Ms. Kae Ishikawa, Director of UN Women Japan Liaison Office! Gender Equality*2 to Create Workplaces where Creativity Thrives - Strengthening the Power of the Individual and Enhancing Organizational Creativity. This report covers the event.
Diversity is one of Sony's Values. Sony is a global company where employees from diverse backgrounds engage in a wide range of businesses. Diversity in people and business is positioned as a driver of value creation at Sony, and as part of our efforts to further promote diversity, we advocate the advancement of women on a global level.
In line with this policy, Kenichiro Yoshida, Chairman, President and CEO of Sony Group Corporation*3, delivered a message on the occasion of International Women's Day.
The lecture opened with a speech from Kazushi Ambe, Senior Executive Vice President, Corporate Executive Officer of Sony Group Corporation. Responding to Yoshida's message on March 8, International Women's Day, he mentioned the importance of eliminating unconscious bias and assumptions in order to promote further advancement of women in the Sony Group with a view to encouraging them to contribute to the creation of new value. This, he said, was something all employees should be aware of. He introduced concrete examples of policies and other measures to create an organization in which each and every employee promotes innovation. He went on to emphasize that diversity is Sony's strength and a source of innovation. He stressed the importance of interaction between diverse individuals and Sony, the platform that accepts them, allowing them to grow together and create value by making the most of diversity. He concluded his speech by urging the participating employees to use this event as an opportunity to learn from each other how to value diversity and create a more inclusive world, both within Sony and outside it.
The first part of the event featured a keynote speech by Kae Ishikawa, Director of UN Women Japan Liaison Office. She began by explaining the background of the International Women's Day and this year's theme, DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality. She explained how and why so many women are being left behind globally and in Japan in the digital environment, including the Internet, and emphasized the need for access to technology, participation in design and development, and safe online spaces. She went on to introduce the activities of UN Women, stressing the importance of gender equality and the empowerment of women. Ms. Ishikawa highlighted the reality of gender equality in the world and in Japan, pointing out that many women miss out on various opportunities because an overwhelming majority of them bear the burden of housework, childcare, nursing care and other unpaid care work. She concluded by explaining the impact of gender equality on business, highlighting that the most important task is to change the mindsets of people around women and urging Sony to work on this both as a company and as an assembly of individual employees.
Ms. Ishikawa and Matsuoka, Senior Vice President of Sony Group Corporation, in charge of Lead of Group Diversity, Equity & Inclusion from April 2023, then engaged in a discussion on Gender Equality and The Power of Individuals and Teams to Create Workplaces where Creativity Thrives.
Ms. Ishikawa was asked to define an environment where firmly established gender equality and DE&I enable anyone to demonstrate their individuality and capabilities to its utmost. Reflecting on the workplaces where she has worked up to now, she said that as a the Asian being minority in the office, she was grateful for colleagues to see her point interesting. She also found it rewarding that her actions could make a difference. She concluded her answer by saying that such an environment was a place where people can respect each other and feel accepted by their bosses and the peers.
Matsuoka believed that an environment where a diverse mixture of employees enjoy learning about different perspectives and broadening their horizons creates a virtuous cycle. When she addressed Ms. Ishikawa on the importance of working with a diverse group of people versus a more homogeneous group, where there may be speed and ease, Ms. Ishikawa referred to an episode in which she discussed gender equality with a male university student and said that dialog with people of different backgrounds alerts us to our own blind spots. "It takes time, but it is a good path for an organization to follow," she said. Matsuoka said that making the most of out of diversity may involve more work, but the value gained through repeated experience is enormous. "Diversity is essential if Sony is to create new value." When asked what an organization that has achieved gender equality, diversity, equity and inclusion might look like in the future, Ms. Ishikawa replied, "In a society where diversity is integrated, I imagine that hierarchical relationships based on things like race and gender will disappear and relationships will flatten out." Matsuoka added that one of the factors contributing to inequality is the asymmetry of access to information. The power of technology is helping to resolve this issue, and creating a place where everyone can play an active role as an individual is an opportunity for Sony to make a contribution. In her closing message to Sony employees, Ms. Ishikawa said, "Individuals should take the first step in changing the mindset of those around them. We should encourage change in psychological attitudes by creating an environment where we can say anything to our families, friends and partners. Never underestimate yourself and believe in your personal strengths and put them to work." Matsuoka said, "If individuals adopt a more flexible mindset and accumulate interesting experiences through diversity, such actions will make a difference both for the organization and society. I would like everyone to work towards that goal."
Events related to Sony Group International Women's Day 2023 were held for seven days from March 8 (Wed.) to March 16 (Thu.) at our offices in Japan to raise awareness within the Sony Group and to provide an opportunity for employees to think and discuss gender issues among themselves. The mimosa flower, which blooms in spring, has been chosen as a symbol of International Women's Day. Various events featuring the mimosa flower were held for employees. Mimosa flowers were displayed at the entrance to the offices of the Sony City headquarters in Shinagawa, Tokyo, and panels introducing International Women's Day were installed. In a collaboration with other International Women's Day events, the cafeterias at Sony City (Headquarters), Sony City Osaki, Sony City Minatomirai, Atsugi Technology Center, Gotenyama Technology Center, and Shonan Technology Center offered seasonal spring menus featuring the mimosa flower as a theme. The Sony City staff cafeteria also served café lattes made with coffee certified by the IWCA (International Women's Coffee Alliance), which supports the work and social activities of women involved in coffee production.
The key visual design features mimosa flowers on a blue base. To express diversity, the mimosas flowers were depicted in various shapes, including circles, triangles and squares. The designs are friendly and easily acceptable, transcending gender lines to express our desire for gender equality.
