Gender equality is 300 years AWAY!

Gender equality is 300 years AWAY!

This year I was invited as a delegate to the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67) UN Women UK

For two weeks of discussions led by the Commission on the Status of Women. Maternal mortality, girls ousted from school, caregivers denied work and children forced into early marriage are just some of the crises across the world.

The secretary general António Guterres, warned, the increasingly distant goal of gender equality will take another three centuries to achieve!!!!

Not very encouraging, to think all the progress on women’s right is vanishing before our eyes!

Especially, for those from marginalised communities or in low-income countries, who are already struggling with access to education and information, which creates more barriers to participation in the workforce or engaging in political and social life.

But, technology has the potential to break down some of these barriers and create new opportunities for women & girls.

Hence, I am excited to contribute my thoughts on this years priority theme and hopefully bring perspectives from diverse women -“Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.”

I acknowledge the most important female role models in my life, were the first examples of female leadership in my life.

I also want to recognise all the other daughters, sisters, mums, auntie's and Grandma’s whose shoulder we get to stand on, especially my own mum and sisters pictured below at a recent birthday celebration.

Why do Women of colour face huge barriers to leadership?

A lot will be written this week on #embracingequity 

But, I want to highlight the past three years workforce representation is falling at alarming rates!

Even though women of colour have always earned less and endured worse representation in management roles across the corporate world, 

Within the gender diversity discourse, consistently women of colour, and women with other intersections like disability/sexuality are bypassed for promotions, which significantly impacts earnings, as seniority often correlates to pay in the workforce.

I run a monthly group, Kinship, it is a safe space for diverse women where we explore issues on race and gender bias, so I hear first hand the toll this has on mental health.

People leaders 4 things to talk about during #IWD2023 and beyond;

✅ The latest Women in the Workplace report, compiled by consulting firm McKinsey & Company shows that among the unprecedented number of women leaving their employers, this phenomenon is particularly pronounced for women of colour, especially those with childcare responsibilities!

✅ Generic ‘diversity’ drives, will essentially be happy to tick box gender equality by only recruiting/promoting white women. 1% of women who look like me are in C-suite! (Check out my profile pic)

✅ Layoffs tend to disproportionately affect women and marginalised groups. Researcher Alexandra Kalev at Tel Aviv University shows that particularly when cuts are determined by tenure women of colour more vulnerable!

✅ The important diversity and inclusion programmes that employees of colour rely on for advancement are being cut. Twitter is a high-profile example and if economic uncertainty lingers, and companies continue to cut budgets, slashed funding discourages organisations to bolster efforts that address the dynamics disadvantaging women of colour

I really wish someday we can all truly belong and not be a chameleon to have to fit in…….

PLEASE SHARE with kind & interesting people leaders…..Thank you 

£4m fund for BAME-led social enterprises based in England

Create Equity has partnered with Social Investment Business to help deliver a £4m fund for BAME-led social enterprises based in England.

With an aim to make the Recovery Loan Fund more accessible, up to 100% grant match funding is available via a Flexible Finance initiative on loans between £50k and £1.5m. Learn more here

Bitesize weekly content! We hope you have enjoyed it. See you next week x

PS If you want to hang out. Kinship is a Safe Space for Diverse Women. First Friday of every month! Please register here.