Women are always saying, 'We can do anything that men can do.' But men should be saying, 'We can do anything that women can do.'  Gloria Steinem

International Women's Day - celebrated on 8 March – is an occasion to commemorate the social, economic and political achievements of women across the diaspora. Since the previous century, this day has also served as a platform to highlight issues impacting women across the globe; focusing on obstacles that hinder them from achieving their true potential! 

During COVID-19, we saw women rise to the fore to meet this formidable health challenge, donning life-saving avatars as  health care workers, caregivers, innovators, community organizers and nation leaders. In fact, this unprecedented crisis aptly highlighted their contributions and the disproportionate burdens they carry. Data doesn’t lie. Statistics (in the public domain) demonstrated how women leaders and women’s organizations  utilized their skills, knowledge and network to lead the response and recovery efforts. Thanks to these developments, the true value and worth of a lady, in terms of offering different experiences, perspectives and skills to the table, became visible to all, leaving little doubt that they can manage any situation as well as their male counterparts.

The leadership dynamic is also reflecting this ‘new reality’. Influential women have risen to become heads of state and government across nearly 20 countries worldwide (source: www.unwomen.org). However, in addition to pre-existing social and systemic barriers to women’s participation and leadership, new barriers have emerged for regular working women due to fallouts of the pandemic. Challenges to their safety and prosperity, fuelled by an increased risk of domestic abuse during stay-at-home, employment uncertainty, unpaid care duties, and actual unemployment, are hindrances in the path towards ensuring true gender equality, the latter being critical to ensure sustainable success for women. 

To bridge this seemingly insurmountable gap, influential female voices have often raised their voices to address some uncomfortable truths. Resonating the same, I believe that leadershipis not defined by age, gender, or colour. Anyone - with the right mission and vision, and a resilient spirit – has the potential to be a dependable leader! The women of today are living those values and becoming unstoppable. With increasing power and influence, they desire a new society, one that gives them the choice to grow, personally and professionally. They are determined to create ecosystems that enable them to achieve this.Shining examples include Jacinda Ardern, Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Malala Yousafzai, Kamala Harris, Arundhati Bhattacharya, and Indira Nooyi among several others. The efforts of these amazing women to smash the glass ceiling reflect the fact that the world is indeed changing for the better. 

Until a few decades ago, only a handful of women could be seen in leadership roles. But today, they are everywhere, in parliament, the supreme court, space stations, and the Fortune 500 list. They are leading varied workplaces to strengthen resilience and build back better from this pandemic. The world needs many more such women. 

On that note, I’d like to share some key leadership qualities, and behaviours that have catapulted women to the top of the game; and that will define the contours of a more balanced, inclusive future.

A differentiated PoV

Women have the unique ability to view a situation from different perspectives. It gives them a definite edge to assess critical situations and carve solutions that might be difficult for most others to conceive.

The Balance

Women are better than men at managing work-life balance. While being C-suite executives, authors, philanthropists or researchers, they also play the role of a sister, mother, daughter and wife. The ability to balance multiple roles and responsibilities makes them truly empathetic & approachable leaders. A survey conducted by Gallup, involving around 27 million employees globally, underlined the fact that women are adept at building strong relationships with their counterparts. 

Invest in care

The global economy depends heavily on the unpaid and underpaid care work primarily carried out by women (source: www.unwomen.org). However, despite its essential nature - especially in light of COVID-19 - this work is not valued in accordance with its inherent worth. While governments have invested in the expansion of care services and supported unpaid caregivers, the private sector also needs to step up by supporting unpaid care work through paid family leave and flexible working arrangements. This is critical to create jobs and foster economic growth.

Support women leadership

In general, women are more likely to consider their families and communities in decision-making processes which is crucial to arrive at holistic solutions. When making changes to the workplace, organizations must give credence to diversity and representation. Employers have a responsibility to create inclusive teams across their organization, including - and not limited to - the executive team. When women are given access to executive and leadership positions, they often create new opportunities for other women to succeed (source: Forbes Magazine, Nov 2021 issue).

Fund women organizations

A slew of social constructs ranging from familial reasons, early marriage, to a perennial aversion to girls' education contribute to gender inequality. Moreover, the lack of support, infrastructure and opportunities makes it harder for educated women to enter the formal workforce. These factors also underpin the abysmal representation of women in entrepreneurship. However, times are changing. Investors are gradually realising the potential of investing in women-led start-ups for various reasons. This attitudinal shift comes at a critical inflection point. It’s time to share a larger slice of the pie with women, as their start-ups account for just 2.2% of the $150 billion invested in companies by VCs annually (source: Forbes Magazine, Nov 2021 issue). A number that has witnessed downward traction post the onset of the pandemic.

Going back to the basics, I believe that the time has come to re-calibrate our perceptions towards gender being the determinant of a person’s inherent ability. We must look at everyone with an objective, clear lens to understand the true value of an individual, beyond traditional, biased & obsolete constructs.

On that note, let’s applaud all the superwomen! They have made their mark in whatever domain they have chosen, be it that of a homemaker, teacher, performer, politician, sportsperson or an entrepreneur. This International Women’s Day let us cherish the inherent womanhood within us, and all the amazing women who are part of our life!