By: Luz Consuelo Garza, Latin America WOK Co-Chair & Megan Adams Hagist, North America WOK Co-Chair

With employees in 21 countries worldwide, Kellogg Company truly is a multinational, multicultural company. Around the world, we are committed to creating an environment in which all employees are included, treated with dignity and respect and are in a position to contribute to our future success. And, to help ensure our people are empowered to be their authentic selves, our Business/Employee Resource Groups(B/ERGs) provide an inclusive environment where members can gain invaluable opportunities and also deliver significant business solutions.

As regional co-chairs of Kellogg’s largest B/ERG, Women of Kellogg (WOK), we’re proud to work for an organization that is committed to accelerating its gender equity progress to increase female representation across all areas of the business. And, on International Women’s Day (IWD), we’re reminded that gender-balance is essential for economies and communities to thrive. The 2019 official IWD theme, #BalanceforBetter, recognizes the global importance of gender balance. Balance is not a women’s issue, it’s a business issue, and collective action and shared responsibility for driving a gender-balanced world is key.

As a truly global B/ERG, WOK is on a mission, through education, conversation and opportunity, to empower women and engage men to advocate for gender equity in the workplace – and in the world – in support of individual success, collective advancement and business improvement. WOK chapters are located in each region where we do business, led by regional co-chairs and driven by a strong membership base. Together, we embrace Kellogg’s global presence by collaborating with each chapter for best practices, idea generation and to create an environment where women can flourish and thrive.

Committed to gender balance at all levels of the organization, Kellogg has programs in place to support gender equity and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and in the communities where we work and live. We’re focused on doing our part to achieve the United Nations (U.N.) 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG#5 in support of gender equity and women’s empowerment.

In addition to WOK, the company has implemented a number of initiatives to continue to advance its gender equity efforts, some of which include: 

• Gender Equity & Women’s Empowerment Programs: Kellogg has programs in place to support gender equity and women’s empowerment across our value chain. These programs support women-owned businesses in our supplier base and support women farmers and workers across the world where our ingredients are grown. 
  • For example, these programs have supported more than 10,000 women farmers and workers improve livelihoods for their families through improved agricultural practices.

• Association of National Advertisers Alliance for Family Entertainment: Our brands are committed to improving gender equity and women’s empowerment. In 2017, we joined the U.S.-based Association of National Advertisers Alliance for Family Entertainment #SeeHer movement to increase the accurate portrayals of women and girls in U.S. advertising and media.

• Catalyst CEO Champion for Change: Kellogg is committed to accelerating our gender equity progress to increase our female representation across all areas of the business, and has demonstrated that commitment by signing the Catalyst CEO Champion for Change initiative.

• Breakfasts for Better Days™: Women and girls represent 60 percent of all undernourished people in the world. Through our Breakfasts for Better Days™  global signature cause platform, we’ve donated more than 1.1 billion servings of food to people in need in the last two years alone. And, we’ve supported feeding programs for more than 1.1 million children to ensure they can reach their full potential.

To inspire conversation and bring further awareness to gender-balance, Kellogg created a #BalanceforBetter video, highlighting our continued efforts and commitment toward gender equity. Watch as Kellogg employees strike the balance pose by putting their hands out to demonstrate their commitment to #BalanceforBetter.

For more on Kellogg’s Diversity & Inclusion efforts or WOK, visit KelloggDiversityandInclusion.com.