Good inequalities
Imagine a company where the whole staff are people with intellectual disabilities. Would you complain because it is unfair? Would you propose a plan to introduce, at least, 40% of people without disabilities to make the company more fair? Probably not, because you would consider this company in the context of a labour market in which people with disabilities suffer a strong inequality of opportunities. Then, this company might actually be a good practice because it allows many discriminated people to have a paid job and all the benefits that come with it. This is just an example to show that imbalances are not always a sign of discrimination.
How can we adapt this to gender equality? It is actually not too difficult. Simply try to see your organization within a bigger context. You might have more women than men in managerial positions. If you look at the labour market statistics you will find that the number of women in this role is lower than that of men and, therefore, you are promoting the access of women to a position where they are usually underrepresented.
Does this work the other way around?
Yes, of course. If you have a majority of men as cleaners, it is the same logic… as long as there are women in other departments and you are promoting equality in other areas.
Why is this extra effort required, in this case, you may ask? Because the global statistics tell us that the number of women in general working in a paid employment is lower than that of men so, even if by sector men are underrepresented in cleaning, in general, having only men cleaners still adds up to the number of men workers vs women workers. So, you need to promote change in other areas to balance this effect.
In the end, acting towards equality is not hard science. Numbers can be read in different ways and you may get to the same result following different paths. The important thing is to keep trying!