I hang on to every word Aradhana Khowala mentions here, as she is well informed and ferocious when it comes to Gender Equality and #BreaktheBias.
I learned from her the appalling statistics that it will take an average of 136 years for women and men to reach parity worldwide instead of the 99 years; the gap to close increased by 36 years in the space of just 12 months! Look up the World Economic Forum 2021 Global Gender Gap article if you can’t believe it.
Yes, there is despair and actions required from CEOS, Corporations, and that’s where Aradhana also shares in the episode messages of hope and inspiring examples where change is visible.
Closer to my residence country, I learned how Dubai has shown bold thinking with visible commitments and leading from the front, leading by an example.
Did you know in UAE there are:
- Nine women in the cabinet
- The average age is 38
- The youngest minister is 22 years old
Some of the topics we discuss in the episode are:
1) Despite the good intentions, we are yet to see results on the ground because of the lack of significant strides. The corporations are still taking baby steps which aren’t translating to results
2) Gender Diversity and Tourism Industry:
Tourism is the most gender-diverse sector in the world. We have more than 50% of women in our workforce. But the numbers at the top are appalling. We have less than 5% of women CEOs; less than 6% on chairs of the board of listed companies worldwide are women.
3) Examples of countries where Gender Diversity is prevalent and how they got there.
4) Lastly, the change needs to come from being ferocious advocates for change.
