On March 5, ahead of International Women’s Day, over 3000 participants logged in from the US, Canada, Africa, India, Singapore and Australia and the UK to be a part of International Women’s Day Speaker Showcase, hosted by Lord and Lady Popat, in association with Rupa Popat and Rupal Sachdev Kantaria. The theme was this year was Choose To Challenge, where 12 speakers from various countries spoke for five minutes each in order to share their sentiments on this day. The event was moderated by Cllr Ameet Jogia.
In his opening remarks, Lord Popat said, “The world has changed remarkably since last year’s debate. Ironically, it has been a year that has kept people apart. But in many ways, it has brought us closer together. Now more than ever, we have a responsibility to hear and amplify these stories. Post Covid-19 we must build a new world, a world that is equal for both men and women.”
Rupal Sachdev Kantaria, Partner Oliver Wyman, was of the opinion that we are certainly making progress. However, she also said, “Gender equality is not just about having strong female voices. It’s more than that. It’s about how women are perceived and how their needs are met in society alongside men. Women are more likely to lose their jobs than men. Women do at least two and a half times more unpaid work than men.” Calling this pandemic a “once in a generation opportunity”, Rupal said that this is our time to work together to uplift the women in our society.
While British Banker and CEO, NatWest Group Alison Rose said, “We are the architects of a more productive future,” Rico Jacob Chace, LGBTQIA+ and Black Rights Activist, Board Member of TransActual UK and Founder of "Against Racism" spoke about transphobia, homophobia in ancestors and families. Rico said, “We need to move on from the past, true, but we need to know that trans lives matter, and have always mattered.”
Anya Hindmarch CB said, “I refer to these women as the transitional generation. Transition, however, is never comfortable. And so often these women exist and endure in the twilight zone. They’re working as hard as their fathers did, whilst also playing an important role as their mother’s roles. These typical gender roles were long in the making, and there’s a typical muscle memory that’s hard to break.” She feels that the work here is far from done, but it’s gathering pace. “The route to racial equality has to follow a similar path to that of gender equality. “Choose to challenge” is a powerful theme. The onus is on everyone,” she added.
LSE Director Baroness Minouche shared her thoughts on IWD and said, “Today, I’d like to argue that women need a new social contract. That’s relevant to the role that they play and could play in the national global economy. The new social contract is based on the assumption that women looked after, the young and the old, for free which is unsustainable. For the first time in history, more women go to university than men all over the world. And until they have children, enter the labour market on the same rate as men. But after they have children, women tend to reduce their hours and suffer a pay gap for the rest of their lives, which forces them to the world of secondary earnings. We need to think about women’s economic roles differently. Which means families need to be reimagined fully. The economic gates of a gender neutral market are potentially huge.”
Keisha Mcleod, a mother who is determined to get Justice for her son narrated the painful story of the murder of her son. She said, “I stand before you today because I’m a woman, facing the worst that a mother can endure. Losing a son at the age of 14. CJ was murdered in broad daylight at 3 pm by a children’s park in 2017. From that moment to this very moment, I’m in disbelief. Disbelief because of all the energy and time I put into raising him until that moment. Disbelief that on that Monday, I’d just spoken to him less than an hour ago. Disbelief because the words that were said to me via FaceTime was “CJ’s been shot”.” Keisha also spoke about this quest with education as he navigated through ADHD. “To do better, you have to know better. A child with ADHD cannot be punished as the same as an average child. Each child’s life story deserves to be told so that society can change for the better,” she added. She campaigns for Children with learning disabilities and is also a member of Newham New Safety Board.
13 year old Khloe Thompson said, “I’ve spent the last five years proving to adults that my age doesn’t defy my impact. At the age of 8 I started my journey with Khloe care. I wanted the women on the streets to have a sturdy bag instead of carrying plastic bags. I also have the ability to change the world by connecting my charity with my passion.”
H.E. Yamina Karitanyi, who is currently the High Commissioner for the Republic of Rwanda to the United Kingdom said that, “Women and men are equal in terms of ability and dignity and they also should be equal in terms of opportunity. 62% of our cabinet is women.”
Anne Elizabeth Boden MBE is a Welsh tech entrepreneur. She is the founder and CEO of Starling Bank, a UK mobile-only bank. Making her point, Anne said, “A 50 something woman in FinTech is an exceptionally rare phenomenon. Nevermind that I had more than three decades of experience. I just wasn’t something that venture capitalists and private investors were used to. Anyone who didn’t fit into this group, didn’t, well fit in! In the UK only one percent of venture capital funding goes to old female founder teams. There are so many things that need to change. A good start would be to get out of the mindset that there are jobs that men do and jobs that women do. Let’s hear for Professor Sarah Gilbert, who’s the co-creator of the Oxford vaccine,” she concluded.
Jahnavi Harrison eased down the listeners with her chanting and rendition. Congolese model-turned-activist Noella Coursaris spoke about how she set up the Malaika Foundation to empower young African girls through education.
Storyteller, Podcast Host, Former Monk, Jay Shetty shared the names of the three most influential women who have had a huge impact on his life. He thanked his mother for teaching him the value of love, sacrifice and care, while also being the breadwinner of the family. He then mentioned his sister who is four and a half years younger, whom he still calls “kid” for teaching him loyalty, and for planning his proposal and wedding. Jay then thanked his wife for whom he has also dedicated a book, for teaching him spirituality and making him believe that there’s always a way to find good in everything.
Rupa Popat summarised the showcase and said, “From the boardroom to the White House let us acknowledge the progress we’ve made on the global stage,” as she went on to list the achievements made by women in producing the Oxford vaccine, putting Harvey Winstein behind bars in the MeToo movement, winning two Nobel Prizes in Chemistry, not to forget Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s budget for homeless women and menstrual products. Rupa Popat listed some main talking points that she thinks will help women: Build our education system because according to her, diversity can be a bolt on to the current curriculum, Mentorship, supporting local schools, education led charities abroad, Corporates - diversity and inclusion, tackling workplace abuse for which companies can start by driving transparency. “We need corporates to drive the change from within. It is vital to remove the barriers on entry of female entrepreneurs,” she said.
