Hers: Role Models, Advice and Opinions on Diversity

‘International Women’s Day’ (IWD), observed on 8 March each year, commemorates historical efforts to achieve women’s rights and normalise gender equity and equality. The movement dates back to the early 1900s but arguably became a global fixture when the United Nations mandated and internationalised its celebration in 1975. Since then, the UN has created themes to continue conversations on prevailing and emerging issues, with the hope that we get closer to that proverbial line of equitable, holistic and sustainable change. Meanwhile, the concept of IWD continued beyond the UN’s institutional definitions, culminating in the creation of the International Women’s Day web platform.

For this year’s theme, UN Women, a UN entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women, chose ‘Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world’. At the same time, the IWD campaign platform asks everyone to #ChooseToChallenge. Both are calls to action. We should recognise the contributions of women leaders to solving critical issues, like the ongoing pandemic, but also be alert and prepared to facilitate and support change.

The intersection of gender and development continues to be an area of personal interest. And, thanks to two great women—the universe and my mom—I get to share this important date for my birthday! So, to participate in the conversation, I prepared this blog with the help of two of my women co-workers: Brandi Panteleon is an American who lives in France where she works as Director of Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs. And Yrneli Paruta Peroza is Venezuelan and lives in Spain where she works as Customer Service Agent.

Here is the conversation:

1. ‘Diversity’ has become somewhat of a buzzword in nearly every sphere. What does diversity in the workplace mean to you?

2. In the spirit of identifying women who have contributed to who we are, which woman would you say has inspired you most and why?

Yrneli: Without doubt, the woman who has inspired me the most is my mother. She has been and will always be my example and model to follow. She has taught and instilled in me the values ​​that define me. But beyond that, she has shown me that despite the obstacles that may exist along the way, it is never too late to fulfil dreams and goals that we believed were unattainable. As a personal anecdote, one of my memories as a child with my mother is accompanying and sitting with her in her first face-to-face class at the university during her law studies.

Brandi: The woman who has inspired me the most, throughout my life, is also my mother, Sharon. She is kind, thoughtful, crafty, and her blonde hair is always perfect. When you first meet her, you won’t see her relentless determination, but if you ever have time for a coffee, I’ll tell you stories.

I grew up in small towns in Idaho (sparsely populated north-western state in the US) where there weren’t sports teams just for girls. I was often either the only, or one of two girls on any given baseball or basketball team. The boys on the team accepted that I was there, but they didn’t have to be nice or give me the ball. I had to be tough, stand my ground and work hard to get better, just so I could play. And when I was 11 years old, after a particularly difficult basketball game, I complained to my mother all the way home. Fed up, she pulled into our driveway, stopped the car, turned to me and said, disappointedly, ‘So what? You’re just going to give up and prove them right?!’ I didn’t. To this day, this single conversation inspires me to keep going, even when the going gets tough.

3. Reflection and support are key to the IWD movement. What advice would you give your younger self or to other women in their professional journey?

Brandi: I think my biggest piece of advice to a younger me and other women is this: Stop doubting yourself! No, really ... I mean it. Stop! The minute you realise that you can do anything you set your mind to, you will find a way to reach your goals. It doesn’t matter where you start or where you came from, and there are no excuses. It sounds simple, but I’ll admit that this advice comes only after undoing years of agonising self-talk, and leadership coach John Wittry’s gentle nudge in the right direction.  

Yrneli: To my younger self, I would say, ‘listen more to your inner self and don´t take for granted things in life’. I would tell other women that stereotypes have existed for many years and are in a plane beyond us. We must not lose our personal essence because of these. In many ways, we established our own limits, so we must break them, embrace change and move forward. The woman of today can be anything she wants. We have always been real fighters, regardless. As women, we have to take advantage of the opportunities with dedication and perseverance. We are capable of being entrepreneurial and successful in any professional field.

Thank you Brandi and Yrneli for your insight.

To close, I’ll leave you with a sentiment by a great woman leader, Michelle Obama: ‘There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.’ Happy International Women’s Day to ALL women!