As we consistently celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women leaders, can you tell us what this moment means to you?
This year’s International Women’s Day theme was ‘invest in women, accelerate progress’ which captures the essence of this moment for me. It is a reminder that unless we are very conscious to ensure gender equality in our systems and societies, everything we do will be negatively affected because it will not be representative, effective, or sustainable.
It’s not that women need to be helped; we need to invest in them because they have significant contributions to make. When we leave behind this critical part of the population, we are missing critical voices and perspectives and we’re undermining progress for everyone – men, women, boys and girls.
How would you say your identity as a woman has shaped your experiences as a leader in your field?
My identity as a woman, especially recognizing that I’m part of a group that has been historically marginalized, means I approach leadership with a lens of always being conscious of how I lead. I ask myself questions like, I’m I ensuring that everyone is heard? Are there some people that I’m excluding? Am I representing the voices of those who are not present in spaces I have access to? Does the way I lead and work with my colleagues demonstrate a deep sense of integrity, justice and fairness?
In every role, I consider it my responsibility as a leader to always bring in the perspectives and opinions of people who are not at the table, and create spaces for advancing inclusivity.
How different do you think your experience would have been, had you traveled the same leadership journey as a man?
We live in a patriarchal world, so most systems work to favor men and disadvantage women. A woman may have the same qualifications as a man, but the ingrained thinking in society that men are better leaders, often leads to men rising faster and getting better pay than women for the same job. So, I think I would have experienced more privilege as a man. I would have had more opportunities, and I would have gotten to higher levels of leadership much faster than I have as a woman.
When you are a beneficiary of privilege it can blind you to the experiences of those who are less privileged, and easily assume that they either don’t deserve it or are not fighting for it. So, if I were a man, unless I grew up in an environment that deliberately helped me be conscious of the inequality in society, I would have probably been oblivious to the processes and structures that exclude others.
It doesn’t mean that all men are not conscious because there are men who are aware of their privilege and use it to create spaces for women to advance and to advocate for women’s rights at work and at home. Â
In discourse about gender equality in the context of leadership, what is often referred to is representation. But is this enough? Is equal representation in leadership enough to drive change?
Leadership is more than mere representation. We have to be very deliberate in preparing women for leadership because it is not just their presence that is required, it is also about participation and the quality of leadership and contribution.
You can have women represented but are they well equipped and prepared to effectively engage in the leadership role? Do they have the qualifications, experience, training and supportive structures to perform the role? Are they adequately equipped to navigate the institutional dynamics of the leadership space? Do they understand their role in expanding that space for other women? Is there a pipeline in place as well as mentorship and networks to help them understand their role as leaders? Do they wield any power or influence decision making?
We need women’s input. We need their voice. We need their leadership. But we must facilitate not just their presence but their power, otherwise we will be setting them up for failure.Â
What would you say are some of the biggest challenges faced by women in leadership positions?
In my experience, one of the challenges is that leadership is lonely. Often, you may find you’re maybe two women in say, a board of 10 people. It is also difficult sometimes to get the mentorship that you need especially in sectors that are historically male-dominated like economics and law. So, you get in there, but you don’t have the networks or access to networking spaces to connect with those people who could help and mentor you.
Another challenge that you face when you’re a woman in leadership is the culture of the institution or the system that you are working in. Because leadership has been a preserve for men, the way things are structured is very patriarchal. For instance, being expected to work the whole day and then socialize with colleagues in the evening over drinks. Many women are not able to do this to the degree expected for career advancement due to care responsibilities. In many cases, this is something men in similar positions will not have to deal with.
Then there’s the challenge of expectations based on entrenched mindsets and norms. Because we’re so used to having men in leadership, we tend to always judge the few women in leadership harshly. We are watching them and looking for any small misstep so that we can use that to show that women cannot be effective leaders. So, I think many women leaders work under very high pressure to prove that women can lead.
What’s the one piece of advice you would give to aspiring female leaders in global health?
I think I’d start by saying, when you have what is required, step confidently into those positions of leadership. And then, do the work and do it well because you have what it takes.
Create community with the women you find in leadership spaces and support and mentor each other. Remember to also pay if forward by ensuring that you are pulling more women up and that you leave a strong legacy of creating space for women’s leadership.
Don’t forget that part of your role involves transforming practices, mindsets and norms around women’s leadership. Join others in speaking up and take whatever action is at your disposal to tackle unfair and discriminatory practices or policies in the workplace so that we normalize inclusive workplace cultures.
Knowing these challenges, and having overcome many of them yourself, what tools do you wish you had been equipped with that would have helped you navigate the journey to leadership in a male-dominated field?
Its only in the last few years where we are seeing more African women like me in leadership in philanthropic institutions. These roles were either male dominated or did not have a lot of people from the global south, so it is positive that this is starting to change.
When I look back, I wish I had access to feminist analysis tools tailored for leadership in male-dominated sectors to help me understand how patriarchal systems and structures operate to exclude women inspite of women having the expertise and qualifications. This awareness of the subtle ways the system is fighting you or the practices that are entrenched in the organizations that don’t suit you as a woman is an important first step to resolving the issues.
So, equipping women with these tools will increase their awareness and give them the agency to be able to challenge, dismantle and transform discriminatory systems and institutional norms. Â
What three key lessons do you wish women would learn from the experiences of those who’ve gone before them while ascending the career ladder?
I’d say the most important thing for those coming up the career ladder is to appreciate that the spaces that they’re occupying, were deliberately fought for by the women who preceded them. It was a labor of love by those who decided to open those frontiers, sometimes with very dire consequences. Do not take it for granted!
Two, they should also know that those spaces can close very quickly or shrink if we don’t remain conscious and mindful of safeguarding and expanding these hard-fought gains. We need to sustain the progress so that future generations will not have to have to work for the same transformation.
Finally, women should know that the problem of women’s leadership has nothing to do with women. It has to do with the institutional barriers that they face once they get into institutions that bar them from progressing into leadership. The focus has to be on changing the mindset and harmful narratives about women and leadership in our society as well as shifting the culture, the practice and policies of institutions so that they are supportive of women.
How does your work intersect with – and contribute to – the movement for gender equality and women’s empowerment?
Gender equality and women’s leadership is a natural and central focus of everything we do at Co-Impact to create systems and institutions that are effective, just, and inclusive. I feel privileged that my daily work in leading our grantmaking in Africa, is contributing toward this goal of advancing significant and gender-equitable change for millions of people, and ensuring that women can access all available opportunities and can participate in all institutions and spheres of life.
