Courage as Capital: Lessons from the 68th CSW on gender equality

Attended my first Commission on the Status of Women, 68 session meeting yesterday where member states shared their statements on “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective”

Emotions were evoked listening to hear the harsh realities of so many women worldwide who are suffering and being disempowered. Felt disheartened that despite efforts, the dial doesn’t seem to have moved that far.

Key highlights and my reflections so far :

· Globally, poverty has a female face. 1 in 10 women live in extreme poverty and on less than $1.90 a day.  If current trends continue, more than 340M women and girls will live in extreme poverty by 2030 and 1 in 4 will experience moderate or severe food insecurity.

· War, crises, violence, sexual abuse of women, lack of access to education, unpaid childcare…significantly impacts on women’s economic participation

· When systems are designed by men they result in biased algorithms and perpetuate inequality. There is a need for more women to be in leadership decision making positions from peacemaking to the boardroom

· Progress to gender equality is not linear. It is a multifaceted, complex issue where many interdependent factors are at play. Reminded me of Rittel & Webber’s wicked problem

A problem that is entwined in so many existing systems (economic, political, social, cultural…) seems impossible to solve and requires individuals, organisations and countries to work together.

Chetna Gala Sinha, the Indian social entrepreneur working to empower women in rural India by teaching entrepreneurial skills shone a light and brought hope. Her story of ordinary women doing extraordinary things was simply inspiring.
Where did these women get their strength from – ”My courage is the capital”.  Her message “You can get your courage from the many women around you as your capital”, resonated and served as a reminder that courage drawn from the collective strength of women, serves as our greatest asset.

Each of us can make a difference in some way. I can do more in supporting initiatives that empower women, offer mentorship, skills training….

How can you use your influence, power and priviledge to affect change?

V