Breaking the Bias: International Women’s Day 2022

This International Women’s Day, the mission statement is clear: it’s time to #BreakTheBias. Whether it be in the workplace, in the home, or in the public sphere, it’s time to collectively strive for a world completely free of stereotypes and discrimination. 

At Mór, elevating female led businesses isn’t something we reserve for one day of the year. In fact, it’s a key part of how we operate and one of our major values. Today, however, is the perfect time to celebrate both the women who make our business possible and the independent female-led brands that we champion day-in, day-out.

Elevating Female Founders

With 42% of our vendors being female led, we are fortunate enough to be inspired by women who are actively breaking the bias every day. At Mór, it is of the utmost importance to continue supporting and celebrating female-led businesses, especially considering such support has not always been readily available.

Elaborating on the business’s passion when it comes to championing female founded brands, Associate Director, Caitlin Whyte says:

“Having been within the retail estate my whole working life, I have witnessed first-hand the lack of businesses owned and led by women – even when the brands themselves are aimed at women. It is important for us at Mór to challenge the gender gap and help empower our vendors by offering them a platform where we can amplify their brand without fear or judgement.”

Today, there are more female-led businesses across the UK than ever before, with a record number of start-ups being founded by women in 2021. Last year, an astounding 140,000 companies were established by all-women teams, and, in Scotland, the number of female-led businesses doubled between 2018 and the latest figures from The Rose Review's 2022 Progress Report

Supporting Female Employees

Undoubtedly, impressive progress has been made over recent years. However, there is still much to be done. While female led businesses are flourishing, other demands that have traditionally been placed upon women are still often holding them back. For example, the Rose Review’s Progress Report highlighted the fact that female entrepreneurs still spend six to ten more hours on childcare than their male counterparts, and female entrepreneurs with dependents are 62% less likely to report recovery from the pandemic.

In addition to championing female led business, therefore, support for female employees is also an important part of the way we do things here at Mór. Our four-day week offers flexibility to every employee, but for those with dependants, this way of working can be invaluable, allowing them to focus on work for four days and then fully switch off over a three-day weekend.

Equal Representation at Mór

A focus on equality is also reflected in Mór’s leadership team. Co-CEO Urchana Moudgil, emphasises the importance of balance and gender equality. She says:

“At Mór we hire the best talent and always have inclusion and diversity at the heart of what we do. We will always hire the best person for the job and everyone’s opinion is valued. Having a diverse representation means we have different approaches and perspectives, and this helps us to stay innovative and challenge the boundaries within the industry.”

While there is still a long way to go to ensure that female-led businesses have as many opportunities to thrive as possible in the UK, we can proudly say that, at Mór, we strive every day to #BreakTheBias. It will always remain imperative that we do our part to promote the most innovative and interesting female-led businesses in the market as well as championing gender equality within our own team.

 

The Mór Card International Women's Day 2022