Women, Let's Go!

It is not only on International Women's Day or on Women’s Day that women should be celebrated. For me, women should be celebrated every day. I am still in awe of how far women have come in making their mark in the world in all spheres of life. And yet, I still get taken aback by how much farther women still have to go to be recognised as equals in terms of opportunities, pay, and recognition for their contributions in the workplace and in the global economy.

There are organizations that are doing an outstanding job towards the advancement of women by not only appointing women into senior and executive roles but also positioning them for success by providing the required support, training, and coaching to enable them to achieve high-performance levels. Most importantly, they provide a culture that values and promotes a diverse, inclusive, equitable and engaging work environment that drives innovation. However, there are still organizations that are lagging behind and have not realized that research has shown that organizations with more women in their leadership teams outperform those without by a significant margin. Additionally, organizations with more gender diversity are more profitable compared to their counterparts.

Every day women continue to play a transformational role in society. In many homes, women are not only the glue that holds their immediate family unit together, but they also have responsibility for ageing parents and the extended family.

Women in leadership roles facilitate the building of both business and employee relations. They are the glue that also holds organizational cultures together. I am truly amazed at the suit of armour of tenacity, energy, patience, kindness, love, and courage that they put on every day, and keep going no matter what is thrown at them.

As entrepreneurs, women are trailblazers, pushing through the boundaries, stepping up to challenges and overcoming adversity to achieve their dreams and professional aspirations. They continue to chart new paths and take the road less travelled to carve out a life that is both extraordinary and rewarding for themselves and their families. In the new world of work, women have been instrumental in leading and embracing change in their respective organisations. Although breaking through the glass ceiling has been slow, they have not let that deter them. They have continued to make a difference where they can.

The theme for International Women’s Day 2023, “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality,” has highlighted the gap between women and technology. The UN Women’s Gender Snapshot 2022 report has shown that the exclusion of women from taking part in the digital world has cost the global economy $ 1 trillion from the gross domestic product of low- and middle-income countries in the last decade. Furthermore, this loss will continue to grow to $ 1.5 trillion by 2025 if no action is taken to move the needle.

This finding puts the challenge squarely on all of us to take steps in our little corners to drive the digital transformation agenda for women, especially for young girls. It is not about acting on a large scale but more about focusing the change at an individual level. The change must begin with us as women. What are we doing to advance ourselves digitally? What are we doing to advance the digital transformation of other women and young girls? As a start, we must constantly upskill ourselves and make it our personal responsibility to achieve the change we want to see in the world, as in the words of Mahatma Gandhi.

Women, globally, continue to be a formidable force with the potential to be even greater as outlined in the UN Report. As women, with younger sisters, daughters, nieces, mentees, and all young women in our lives, we must never lose sight of the impact we have on them. Oftentimes, we influence without saying a word. It is not so much what we say but the behaviour we model around them that speaks volumes.

Above all, I challenge all women to not only focus on working hard to achieve their dreams and goals but also to remember to have fun and infuse lots of love and laughter on their journeys to living their dreams. Take joy in the small pleasures that life has to offer and always keep a song in their hearts.

I, for one, am inspired by the women in my life who continue to strive to be better than they were yesterday. Let’s keep going. There is still so much for us to achieve and I am excited. I am looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead because, with each challenge, we grow stronger, wiser, and more powerful!