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Today is International Women’s Day. This day marks an attempt to reflect on the position of women worldwide. In common with many fora where diversity is resisted this day is an attempt to create space for and value the female voice in our world.
I was delighted to attend the Better Boards, Better Business, Better Society book launch by the National Women’s Council of Ireland last Tuesday in Dublin. There Halla Tomasdottir was the guest speaker from Iceland. She talked about her departure from traditional business values to feminine business values of independence, risk awareness, straight talking, emotional capital and profit with principles. Nora Casey chaired the session and challenged her male business colleagues to embrace diversity and allow women the opportunity to be the difference that is needed in the world.
Today’s world faces two major threats – the risk of nuclear war and rapid climate change – both of which could obliterate the world completely. We need to come up with solutions to both of these problems if our children and grandchildren are to enjoy this earth as we have done.
Religious fundamentalism threatens to silence the voice of reason whether it is Christian climate change deniers in the USA or Islamic fundamentalists in Africa and the Middle East which seek to keep women uneducated. For those of us who have been lucky enough to be born in a part of the world which sees women as equal to men let us make our voices heard.
Emma Watson the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador will answer questions in an event on Facebook watch it here at 5pm http://owl.li/JPjXG
Let us all play our part in promoting gender balance in leadership – Happy International Women’s Day 2015.