Change for Women

Last week in the lead up to International Women’s Day I was asked by the Independent ‘what is the one big thing you want to see change for women in the world?’

Our first Code Queen graduation for ETC

I couldn’t simplify it into one thing! I would definitely like to see more funding being diverted towards initiatives that help reduce the digital gender divide. Globally only 3% of ICT graduates are women, and the disparities in the developing world are even bigger (UNESCO). Through Educating The Children (ETC), we’re playing our small part by (1) running coding programs that help young unemployed women transition into the STEM workforce (2) plans to integrate STEM training into our secondary school in the Masai Mara. 

However, the story in the developed world is different. We’ve made huge strides towards gender equality through policies and legislation. The biggest gap I see here is the progress we’re making on the inside. Through my work as a therapist, I’ve systemically noticed that women suffer greatly from imposter syndrome, not feeling good enough and a strong inner critic, much more so than men. This is backed by statistics, e.g. in the UK, 3 in 5 people suffer from imposter syndrome and over half of them are women (Indeed.com). I would like to see women let go of perfection, celebrate small daily wins and embrace their individuality. I believe that equality isn’t about ‘being the same’ but about ‘being ourselves’, being accepted in our difference; and this acceptance has to start inside us.