How Can We #ChooseToChallenge? By Shattering Gender Stereotypes

With yet another edition of International Women’s Day (IWD) approaching, I remember asking myself, “What’s the big deal about Women’s Day?” Wasn’t it quite the same as Valentine’s Day, complete with marketing gimmicks and photo opportunities? I had almost dismissed the idea of Women’s Day when I chanced upon a recent interview of Prof. Rohini Godbole – a particle physicist and academic – who received the Padma Shri in 2019 and the French National Order of Merit in January 2021. “I really look forward to the day when one is not slotted as a woman scientist. You know, we happen to be scientists who happen to be women,” she said in a very matter-of-fact way.

 When Drew Gilpin Faust took office as the 28th president of Harvard University in 2007, she made it clear, “I’m not the woman president of Harvard. I’m the president of Harvard.” Faust did not want to be bracketed into a “special category” due to her gender. If anything, she wanted to be “as powerful, as effective, as respected, taken as seriously, as any man.” A few years later, however, she did acknowledge that being the first woman president of the university was a “special responsibility”, particularly because she received letters from girls around the world who told her how much it meant to them.

 Are Prof. Godbole and Faust the only individuals to emphasize that their professional role should not be viewed through the lens of their gender? No, and neither will they be the last. That is because socio-cultural practices have compartmentalized job roles into male- and female-dominated stereotypes. When a woman occupies a so-called traditional male-dominated job function, quite often her gender becomes the talking point instead of her achievements which got her to that position.

 Stereotypes are not confined to domains such as science & technology or academia. Gender-defining prefixes such as “mom”-preneur or “She”-E-Os are regularly used to describe self-employed women or those in leadership positions.

Men are simply called entrepreneurs or CEOs. Does anyone ever say “dad”-preneur or “He”-E-Os? By their very definitions, the terms entrepreneur and CEO are gender-neutral, but there is still a tendency to color them with gender-specific pronouns when women take on such roles. Although this may be disappointing, the assignment of such labels is not surprising. Gender stereotypes are instilled from an early age; due to this, children start defining career opportunities as male and female.

  It is widely accepted that there is a lack of female role models and mentors in professions such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), life sciences, law and finance. While role models inspire girls and young women to pursue their aspirations, mentors provide ongoing guidance and feedback. Having a role model or mentor to fall back upon is extremely helpful in times of self-doubt, especially when for those who experience the isolation of being women in technology, engineering and other such domains.

 In recent times, we have witnessed the achievements of many inspiring women: American Vice President Kamala Harris. Prospective World Trade Organization chief and former Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Joint winners of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna.

 While I celebrate their successes, I am also mindful that even today, these are the exception rather than the rule. It will take decades before a truly transformative change can take place. But that does not mean that we stop challenging the status quo. In fact, the 2021 IWD theme #ChooseToChallenge states: “A challenged world is an alert world. Individually, we're all responsible for our own thoughts and actions - all day, every day. We can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. We can all choose to seek out and celebrate women's achievements. Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world.”

So what have I chosen to challenge? I have chosen to challenge stereotypes in the aftermath of a life-altering pandemic in which women have played a stellar role and led from the front. As frontline workers, they have worked on an equal footing with their male counterparts. As working professionals, they have taken up multiple responsibilities to balance their families along with their work commitments. As leaders of nations such as New Zealand and Germany, they have been most effective in steering their countries out of the dangers of the pandemic.

Above all, instead of celebrating womanhood on a single day of the year, I want to celebrate it every day. Each one of us can do this by recognizing inspiring women around us, many of whom work selflessly and behind the scenes. We must definitely celebrate ourselves more often. And we must not shy away from rejoicing over our successes, however small they may be. As they say in a popular TV ad, “because we’re worth it!”