<p style="text-align:justify; margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">Although progress has been made, women still earn substantially less than males and are underrepresented in managerial roles. Women account for only 5% of Fortune 500 CEOs, and women earn only 80% of what males do, according to the US Census Bureau (2017). This issue is not exclusive to the United States, Australia's national gender wage gap continues at 14%. In the United Kingdom, women account for just 7% of CEOs in the FTSE 100. </span></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align:justify; margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">According to recent study conducted by technology giant Samsung, only 19%&nbsp;of employees in the UK&nbsp;believe that their company have&nbsp;gender equality. Gender stereotypes in the workplace are still prevalent in the UK, with almost half of employees i.e. 44% believing that some occupations are only available to men or women. Fearing discrimination based on their gender, nearly one-fifth (17%) of women have not sought for a job.</span></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align:justify; margin-bottom:11px"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:normal"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif">Moreover, because&nbsp;of the events of the year 2020 workplaces have been flipped upside down drastically. Many workers are trying to execute their duties under the extremely difficult conditions of the COVID-19 outbreak. Women have suffered disproportionately. This pandemic has exacerbated issues that women were already dealing with.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>
