Uber, which has faced fierce criticism in the past over alleged sexism in the company, has pledged to sign up a million women drivers by 2020 as the taxi-hailing app expands around the world — and it has a powerful ally on board.
In a surprising move, UN Women, the United Nations body, has agreed to go into partnership with the San Francisco start-up to help with its recruitment drive. In a blog posting on the Uber website, the two organisations said that they had a “shared vision of equality and women’s empowerment”.
“This important mission can only be accomplished when all women have direct access to safe and equitable earning opportunities,” the statement, signed by Travis Kalanick, the Uber chief executive, and Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the executive director of UN Women, said.
Uber, launched in 2009, operates in 292 cities in 55 countries. Hiring one million women drivers by 2020 suggests that it expects to double its present growth rate. UN Women did not return a call seeking comment.