On July 23, Law No. 21,828 was published in the Official Gazette, requiring a broad range of companies to measure and report on gender equity. The clock is already ticking: by March, the first report must be prepared and submitted to the Labor Directorate, and made publicly available on each company’s website. Valeria Ruz, partner at FerradaNehme and sponsor of #SostieneFN Género, explains the scope of the new law and why companies should start treating it as a compliance matter now.

What does this law change?

Measuring gender equity is no longer voluntary. Until now, a company did so if it considered it relevant; from now on, if it qualifies, it must measure, report and publish. That shift, from voluntary to mandatory, is the core of the law. It adds a new chapter to the Labor Code and turns gender transparency into a concrete duty.

Who does it apply to?

Companies with two hundred or more employees, as well as those with fifty or more operating in mining, research and development, the financial sector, energy, transportation and construction. The choice of these sectors is no accident: they are the industries that have historically shown the largest gaps, so the requirement is focused where it is most needed.

What must the report contain?

It is not a generic document. It must include the percentage of women in the workforce, how they are distributed across positions of responsibility, measures for balancing work, family and personal life, information on the gender pay gap and any other measures adopted to promote gender equity. In other words, it requires companies to look at the organization as a whole, not just state an intention. All of this must follow the parameters that the Ministry of Labor will set by resolution, after a report from the Ministry of Women and Gender Equity, which will provide a common basis for comparison.

And once it is done, what happens to it?

This aspect is sometimes underestimated. The report is submitted electronically every March to the Labor Directorate, which, within the first five business days of April, forwards it to two bodies: the Interministerial Committee for Equal Rights and Gender Equity and the Higher Labor Council. It also remains publicly available on the company’s website. As a result, it is not paperwork to be filed away, but public information that anyone can consult and compare.

Companies that treat this as a management tool rather than a formality will be able to stand out in an area that matters today to clients, talent and investors. Well-managed gender equity is an asset, and this law requires it to be documented; done rigorously, it benefits those who take the issue seriously.

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