Being a woman and being in governance ( Akira Consult Limited ), days like these bring mixed feelings and moments for reflection. Majorly, these feelings are joy and amazement. Joy because.. ‘man, I feel like a woman’ – cue in the Shania Twain Song….’Lets go girls!’ 🎶 . This joy stems from the realisation that we have come so far in women empowerment, even if we still have ways to go especially in equity and equality. Amazement, because I am fortunate to know, love and watch women scale unimaginable and praiseworthy heights and know that so many things that we desire as women are actually now within reach.

Then again, the reminder that as much as we have come so far, there is so much we are yet to achieve to ensure that the female gender is always in consideration in the decisions that concern them. Though we have recorded marked improvement in the Boardroom and top leadership, the woman’s POV is still glaringly missing in a lot of medical research, gender protective laws/systems, in many government and political offices, in the top 10 Forbes list, and generally in opinion shaping matters.

That said, this year the theme is putting more pressure to move the needle. The start in gender equity- being fair and impartial to women needs to go hand in hand with equality- offering similar status, rights and opportunities. Doing this requires a collective effort across governments, civil society, private sector, and communities- starting from the home/family front.

So the IWD have identified various ways we can move the needle. Taking a governance lens;
❇️ Legal and policy reforms: Can we refocus on what is actually being done to protect women? Can corporates confirm that their policies and practices protect the vulnerabilities women face in the workplace?
❇️ Economic Empowerment: If we are to practice equity and equality, are your pay scales and opportunities transparent and fair to women and the multiple roles they play? Is access real in your organisation?
❇️ Education and Skill development: Have you eliminated bias and labelling of roles, careers and made traditionally male careers more welcoming to women?
❇️ Womens leadership and representation: What is your actual DEI policy and have you measured progress? Accelerate action towards those quotas. Where are our male allies?
❇️ Technology for inclusion: Tech is the new equalizer. It is slowly emerging that this particular space is genderless. How do we ensure that there is no hinderance for women led tech companies and start ups get the visibility they need? Forbes lists awaits these revolutionaries!
❇️ Forge global collaboration and advocacy: If it is working for women in one region, why can’t we test it in our organisations. How do we give a voice/ amplify advocates to women equality?

So yes, happy women’s day, so much to be thankful for yet so many steps to keep going. Happy to play our role as Akira Consult Limited, we play to win!