Diversity: Not a Quota Allocation but the Power of ALL

What a lovely time at the Gender Roundtable 2022 put together by Jobberman Nigeria, Mastercard Foundation, and Wimbiz yesterday.

I was seated in time for a beautiful documentary put together by Jobberman sharing insights on the launched survey titled unmasking the barriers to Women’s participation in the labour market.

Yewande Sadiku’s opening remarks on lifting barriers, a practical one focused on her experiences in the private and public sector with a view on gender equity vs equality, upholding the differences in both genders as a wholesome necessity for all round growth in the labour market, attaining balance as women knowing the different cloaks to wear at any given time at home and at work; learning from a network of mentors and influencing change with a kind heart.

Hon. Folasade Adefisayo’s fun and witty speech on her growth story with her dad and changing tyres on a road trip had me cackling.

Surely, we could all learn a thing or two from the one example regarding how we ought to train our kids to be ready for different life turns without the gender bias. How she makes a difference with her kids too and the importance of your choice for a life partner. I also loved her spotlight on what Lagos is doing differently but also what more needs to be done including addressing changes needed in the curriculum such as taking out images that only portend mindset barriers to opportunities for the girl child and those that are out of touch with current realities.

My panel session focused on unmasking barriers in the labour market and was brilliantly moderated by Debola Deji - Kurunmi. There was a spotlight on gender based violence and a call to action by everyone from Olufunke Baruwa of Ford foundation. This was a bright light for me especially with the recent loss of a well known gospel musician. A moment of silence for her yet again in my mind; a little prayer. Her song, "Ekwueme" was soothing for me when my Dad passed. It has flooded the internet recently as a reminder of who she was but this time for me goosebumps and a constant nag on what a different outcome could have been. Again, who’s your life partner?

We discussed the role of religious and cultural leaders in elevating or fostering biases for/against women; the role of active listening by men in appreciating what women bring to the table and the concept of ALL resources being present on the table if we want to increase economical value.

Whilst 58% of self employed people in Africa are women according to the World Bank; the statistics are less in favour of women in the labour market for several reasons including views on maternity leave, career progression after maternity, the failings in or lack of proper structures and processes to hire and retain right. Failing to orientate employees (both genders) who may carry on cultural biases against women, sets the tone for a negative spiral in the labour market. For SMEs, a lot more are founded by women but we must build structures that are deliberate on having a diverse workforce whilst generating cash and profits.

And for the education sector, catch our kids young by changing education curricula, introduce associated welfare systems that create the right mind frame before they get to the labor market, address deficits in the mental well being of the children too by employing a network of specialists like psychologists/doctors that cater to them after school hours perhaps. Finland relied on welfare systems like these to get where they are today. The question on how we fund these was a good way to end it. We need to start asking questions about what our taxes are used for. Now we have the National Identity Numbers, how about a proper welfare system using the taxes collected, how about funding those in the informal sector who may have missed out on pension contributions for retirement, how about changing what has overtime been diverted to petrol subsidy for investment in the mindset of the Nigerian people. Again the 80/20 rule… mindset drives skill set.

An unhappy people or abused people cannot give us the change we so desire. If we are more strategic about EDUCATION, we will reap benefits in other areas of society. As the political season approaches, let’s ask ourselves more critical questions and vote wisely.

The break out session moderated by Adaorie Uchechukwu of the IFC on policy changes spotlighted the need to overhaul our outdated (permit me to say primitive) labour Act (1990 and no change..but why?) in Nigeria to cater to advanced maternity care or sexual harassment amongst others. We talked about building self esteem in children so they become the impactful and empathetic leaders we now ache for. For the many losses we make in education, for the incessant strikes…. the ripple effect on economy is clear. It also bears a direct correlation to the deficits in society.

?We can make more impact by changing mindsets - a cue from the 80:20 rule where 80% is dedicated to mindset and 20% on skill set , catching them young and funding the right welfare systems rather than petrol subsidy. Nigeria will be better for it long term and just maybe we can move from 160 out of 165 in UN's report on alleviating poverty and gender equality amongst others to a prime position like No 1 for Finland.

Esiri Agbeyi