Today is the International Women’s Day, a day set aside to celebrate women and a chance to advocate gender equality.
Themed “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a Covid-19 world”, the day also reminds us of the global crisis that we face and celebrates the tremendous efforts by women and girls in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and highlights the gaps that remain.
Last year will go down in history as when we had tragic global health and societal issues. Despite its troubles, Covid-19 highlighted the strengths of political authorities, particularly those led by women, who stepped up to show how pivotal feminine leadership would be in overcoming the challenges.
From New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, women won global praise for their handling of Covid-19. Not only were infection rates generally lower in their countries, but so were fatality rates.
As the crisis expands into a socioeconomic one, women leaders’ approach could potentially be the start of a sustainable transformation that lasts beyond the pandemic. This, in the long run, could topple our patriarchal structure.
Gender equality must be central to our pandemic response. Only 22 countries have an elected woman Head of State while 119 (Kenya included) have never had one, according to UN Women. Statistics show that, at the current rate, global parity may not be reached in national parliaments before 2063.
As we reflect on the thousands of women who lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic and those struggling with burnout, companies must also act now to promote, hire and retain women, otherwise years of progress toward gender equality risk being reversed.
Advancing gender equality is the shared roadmap we need to set in motion actions that will help us to not only recover but also come out on the other side of the pandemic stronger.
