Launching the "Gender Challenge Chart" – an idea support tool to address gender gap issues. As its first initiative, it visualizes challenges faced by women and contributes to achieving gender equity.

Dentsu Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Norihiro Kureya) has established the Dentsu Diversity Lab (hereinafter "DDL")※2, a cross-organizational specialized task force dedicated to research, analysis, and solution development in the DE&I※1 domain. As one initiative to address gender gap issues, DDL has developed the "Gender Challenge Chart," a tool designed to support idea generation.

The first release is the "Gender Challenge Chart," which visualizes challenges faced by women. DDL will provide this as a freely available, adaptable digital book. Additionally, by offering various programs such as workshops and consultations that promote women's empowerment actions within companies, DDL will work with partner companies to further advance DE&I.

In 2021, Japan ranked 120th out of 156 countries in the Gender Gap Index※3, placing it last among G7 nations. It also ranked second worst among 38 OECD countries in terms of the gender pay gap. Furthermore, the SDGs proposed at the UN Summit in September 2015 have significantly shifted societal values. Addressing the gender gap and achieving gender equity have become essential for business growth and organizational management, with many companies and local governments now actively pursuing these goals.

Centered around DDL, our company has consistently responded to consultations and requests from numerous client companies and organizations, providing support such as advice and proposals for achieving gender equity. Throughout this process, we have collaborated with external experts to advance multifaceted activities. These include conducting research, developing brand communications, creating dialogue spaces to visualize challenges faced by women within companies, supporting corporate strategy development for addressing women-related issues, and conducting interviews and writing articles. Simultaneously, we have accumulated diverse information, insights, and data.

The "Gender Issues Chart" is a tool created by reorganizing and visualizing some of this material to facilitate discussions aimed at solving problems. It categorizes issues related to women into 12 themes, linking them to 95 specific challenges and providing an overview of objective data in a single, easy-to-see list.

Moving forward, DDL plans to leverage its accumulated insights and expertise, along with this chart, to primarily advance the following six actions:

1. Gender Issues Webinar (Sustainable d Actions Webinar scheduled for June 2022 and beyond)
2. Study Sessions and Training on Gender Issues
3. Consultations for local governments, companies, and others on current challenges
4. Workshops for companies and media
5. Product and service development with companies and content holders
6. Updates to the "Gender Issues Chart"

Access the Gender Issues Chart here

Moving forward, our company will continue to focus on DDL, striving to evolve the "Gender Issues Chart" and enhance our solutions. By providing multifaceted support for our client companies and organizations in their DE&I initiatives, we aim to contribute to the realization of gender equity.

*1: Abbreviation for "Diversity, Equity & Inclusion." Refers to challenges concerning diversity, equity, and inclusion in society, and the measures to enhance them.

※2: " Dentsu Inc. Diversity Lab (DDL) "
Established in 2011. A cross-organizational specialized task force within Dentsu Inc. that promotes the development and provision of solutions for both the company and its clients from a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion perspective. Focusing on four main themes—"Gender," "Disability," "Multicultural," and "Generation"—it continues its activities with around 20 unique projects and approximately 100 members. Through its own research and studies, as well as collaboration with external experts, research institutions, and stakeholder groups, it develops and provides various solutions and disseminates information.

※3: Source: World Economic Forum "Gender Gap Index 2021"