Women in Leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world
This International Women's Day, we celebrated "Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world." The event paid homage to the tremendous efforts made by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future post Covid-19.
Incredible women from across the Initiatives of Change (IofC) network shared their experiences as women in positions of power, reflecting on their sources of inspiration and hopes for the world.
Each of the women who took part is a pioneer in her own way. Valerie Lemmie, an IofC USA Board Member, is the child of the first generation of African Americans to integrate public facilities. Sonali Samarasinghe (CSP 1996) fled Sri Lanka to become a lawyer and senior diplomat in New York. And Cleo Mohlaodi has paved her way as the first woman in her family to become a ‘mother to the motherless.’
They shared stories about the challenges of being women leaders, and the added microaggressions leveled against women of color, or women from different socioeconomic backgrounds. As Sonali put it, ‘even if you have other women working with you, you do feel that you are alone.’ In Cleo’s words, women are fed ‘fear statements,’ constantly trying to limit their potential and scale down their dreams.
Despite these battles, the group discussed the benefits of women-led leadership. Heather Cetrangolo (CSP 2019) described the contradictions inherent in her leadership - ‘I have this kind of gentle femininity in the way that I look, but in the way that I speak, I also have this real directness.’ Working against systemic oppression throughout their careers, all of the participants had garnered a hard-worn confidence which allows them to stand up to those who wish to put them down. One of the important things in building this confidence was having women role models to look up to - so that eventually, in Florina’s words, you can think ‘I can get there, I can set the agenda.’
On the flipside, Valerie discussed the ‘dark side’ of leadership - where women are encouraged to compete with one another. After a lifetime of being pitted against one another, it can be hard to get into the ‘egalitarian spirit’ when it comes to entering the world of work. Heather shared her personal prejudices, such a suspicion of women in positions of power, and a difficulty celebrating the successes of other women in her circle. Both women spoke about the needs to challenge and confront these cultural barriers.
In building success in personal and professional spheres, the women reflected on their learnings - including the vitality of humility in leadership, the fact that it really does ‘take a village’ to build an individual, and that women must work together to overcome the societal barriers that face them. In this meeting of minds from different spheres, a sense of togetherness and solidarity was the enduring message.