In 2021-2022, U.N Programs are promoting women’s participation and leadership in the workplace, marketplace and community. How much do you abide by such principles? How much you benefited and benefit other women from such policies? How much your company/workplace is ready to move towards full gender equality?
Lebanon used to enjoy one of the most vibrant women empowerment movements in the Arab region. It was one of the first countries in the world to give women the right to get nominated and to vote in 1943. Unfortunately, it is not the case anymore. Lebanon today is ranked 183 out of 187 countries in terms of women’s participation in parliament and compared to the rest of the Arab world, we are at number 15 out of 17.
While several Lebanese women have made great steps in advancing the women´s empowerment agenda, women’s participation and leadership in the workplace, marketplace and community is still very shy.
Research shows that a women who has the exact same qualifications as men are less likely to apply for the same job (source: Harvard Business Review) and the same research also shows that when names and genders are erased from resumes, women get hired at higher rates. It’s time to have an equal partnership of men and women at the head of our country. It’s time our leadership looks more like our homes and our society.
I am not making the case for stripping qualified men of their rights or leadership potential, nor am I saying we should compromise on qualifications for the sake of gender. I am simply advocating for a partnership where society benefits from the incredible complementarity between men and women.
As we speak there is a proposal to amend the electoral law to include a women’s quote (source: FiftyFiftyLB), let’s all support it.
This should not be an aspiration. This is a necessity. We need to leverage the brain power of half the population. We need 50% of the parliament to be women. It’s time for the head of parliament to be a woman; it’s time for the prime minister to be a woman. It’s time for women to be CEOs of our companies.
Leaders must set the tone for balance in the workplace or within the community. I believe that we must look at what it means to be an equitable leader. I also believe more males in high-level leadership roles must raise awareness, lend support and break down barriers holding back women and minorities from advancing in life. We need gender diversity in the workplace and especially in leadership since having different perspectives make an environment more productive and healthier, which reflects positively on the community. To achieve this diversity, it’s critical for leaders, both male and female, to lead by example when it comes to balance in the workplace.
I am a big supporter of women’s equality and involvement in the community but also at work. I reinforce that by setting a quota of equality for all our recruitment, evaluation and promotion processes at work, in order to achieve gender equality and empower women. I am very proud to say that 49% of my team at Credit Libanais consists of talented females, with 4 out 11 are in managerial positions.
They say: Where so many men fail, a woman can succeed”.
Today, women entrepreneurship is a collective responsibility.
Do you support tracks of activities aiming at promoting women entrepreneurs in overcoming the constraints they face and in maximizing your/their potential contributions in their respective business and economic fields?
Most women entrepreneurs face major obstacles such as discrimination, lack of financial support and limited access to networks, which explains their reluctance to enter the business world. Creating a rich women entrepreneurial culture is the collective responsibility of a nation and not the sole responsibility of individual entrepreneurs. It is in fact, the joint responsibility of all stakeholders from policymakers, financiers, service providers to the families of entrepreneurs. The entire stakeholder body should be mobilized to a single rhythm.
Today, there is a growing awareness that empowering women in the economy and closing the gender gap in the world of work are essential to realizing gender equality. Women’s entrepreneurship is an important strategy for advancing the economic empowerment of women while also reducing gender inequality. In the Arab region, the promotion of women’s entrepreneurship has gained traction over the past decade and is often seen as a valuable approach for creating jobs within a generally discriminatory environment.
In Lebanon, only 26% of women work, one of the lowest rates in the world (source: World Bank). Our top priority in Lebanon is the economy. Research shows that when more women work, economies grow. McKinsey Global Institute research shows that if women contributed their skills and productivity to the economy on the same basis as men, it would add over 2.7 trillion (or 60%) to the 2025 annual GDP in MENA. This would also reduce illiteracy, violence, maternal mortality, child marriage, all of which cost society money. (Source Mckinsey Global Institute).
In fact, it has been proven that every dollar invested in getting women into office has exponential return on every aspect of society.
Research from UNSCR and the Council on Foreign Relations shows that including women in the peace processes raises the chance of a peace agreement lasting 15 years by 35%. Women are also more effective at building coalitions and reaching consensus. (Source: CFR).
We need every dollar to have a force multiplier in the Lebanese economy Women reinvest 90 percent of their income into their families (compared to 30% for men), spreading wealth much further. They reinvest in the education, nutrition, and health of their children and help to break the cycle of poverty in their communities. A dollar invested in women can create a virtuous cycle: female spending supports the development of human capital, which fuels economic growth in the years ahead. (Source: International Finance Corporation).
We need to empower the Lebanese private sector to build strong companies. A 2018 Boston Consulting Group study showed that for every dollar raised, companies with women cofounders generated 78 cents in revenue, whereas all male-run startups generated only 31 cents (source: Boston Consulting Group). Data collected by leading American venture capital firm found that the female-founder companies it had funded performed 63% better than the all-male founding teams it had funded. (Source: First Mark).
I strongly believe and fully contribute to all activities that provide equal opportunities and support to all women in their entrepreneurial journey.
The percentage of female entrepreneurs and empowered ladies has increased by 114% worldwide in the last 20 years, what creative and innovative business ladies did to overcome discrimination, lack of financial support and limited access to resources?
It was found that female entrepreneurs are now establishing and managing more small and medium sized entities than at any time in the past and this trend is growing. This is in spite of significant gender discrimination, lack of financial support and limited access to resources women face. In order to overcome these barriers, education, sense of self-worth, ability to determine their own choices are all factors that shape the potential for women to gain substantive power.
Do you think that women who can achieve the objective of effective equality can banish prejudices and social clichés? Develop an awareness of a special kind on an individual and collective levels?
Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.
There has been progress over the last decades: More girls are going to school, fewer girls are forced into early marriage, more women are serving in parliament and positions of leadership, and laws are being reformed to advance gender equality.
Despite these gains, gender stereotypes and gender-oriented prejudices pose a serious threat to women’s careers and facilitate gender bias in the workplace.
To help with raising women, men, laws and societies need to support because there is too many demands at home. All home and child care falls on women so it’s like they have two jobs, one that is paid and one free. It’s not just discrimination, jokes and general undermining or other archaic jokes. Women are subject to sexual harassment and violence in the workplace as well.
Gender equality has a transformative effect that is essential to fully functioning communities, societies and economies. Women’s access to education and health services has benefits for their families and communities that extend to future generations. An extra year in school can add up to 25% to a girl’s future income. When women participate fully in the labor force, it creates opportunities and generates growth. Closing the gender gap in employment could add $12 trillion to global GDP by 2025. By increasing the proportion of women in politics, in public and private institutions, making them more representative women not only can banish prejudices and social clichés and benefit the whole society.
Can empowered women become owners of their actions, developing specific leadership styles, knowing how to communicate, influence their environment, and commit themselves to innovation and female empowerment?
Women have the ability to be owners of their own actions and ultimately lead their livesby educating themselves and acquiring new skills that will allow them to feel prepared to face new professional stages and redesign their limits.An empowered woman does not mean repeating traditionally male leadership patterns, but rather that these professionals are able to find their own way to inspire and motivate others. Within the leadership skills of female empowerment, communication, negotiation and persuasion stand out. An empowered woman is capable of transmitting her message and making herself understood and influences her environment. Not only does she have the professional skills to design her own path, but she also has the necessary attitude to pass her empowerment along at all levels and become a reference. To achieve this support, empowered women assume the responsibility of creating change, of leaving the traditional role that society has assigned them and exploring innovative paths, both in their way of acting and in their work projects.
Do you personally believe in the following pillars of empowerment: “You are what you believe, all women are created equal in their innate strength, and Empowered women empower other women”?
Our beliefs are the most powerful force that govern our attitudes, outlook and actions. They are nurtured and formed by our culture, religion, education, society, teachers, as well as every influencing factor in our surrounding environment.
“You are what you believe”, any woman can achieve what she wants when she puts her mind to it. If we believe we can earn that promotion or role, achieve that target, or make the necessary changes to lead a healthy life, then we will. If we encounter obstacles, we can overcome if we believe we can.
I also believe that “all women are created equal in their innate strength”, yet we are all born in different environments, households, education systems, economic standings, and external influences. These are all things that make who we are, our ideologies are shaped and molded by what we experience in life. We are born an open book waiting to get filled with knowledge. Let us remind ourselves that we are strong enough, we are smart enough and that we can be leaders in business, in medicine, in law, in the arts, in whatever field we want to pursue. As female business leaders, we have a duty to lift up the women around us. Let us all empower each other to succeed. Empowerment is contagious, if we tell those around us that they can achieve their dreams, then they will. For those of us women who have achieved a leadership position, we have a responsibility to the other women around us. Let us share our journeys, our expertise and be role models to other women. If we remind each other of our capabilities and unique female strengths, we can all achieve more.
What you did to empower other women: told them your story? Stood up for them? Recommend women to share work opportunities? Support the existing potential in other women?
While stronger economic growth, effective policy action to close legal gaps, promotion of more egalitarian attitudes and access to quality childcare are key for women empowerment in any society, it’s also important to share your own story with others and to listen to other women’s stories and experiences. Empowering women starts with each and every one of us. I always make sure to support women around me by showing them appreciation, showing them that they matter and reminding them of their strength. I am a big fan of the shine theory, which is the idea that when you help another woman rise, we all shine. Build other women up! For example If you see your co-worker doing a great job, give them credit, at first it may seem like you’re taking attention away from yourself, but you’re actually showing that you’re a supportive team player as well as an inspiring leader and secure enough in yourself to praise others. Finally I always call for
Usually empowerment starts with a promotion of a woman’s sense of self-worth, their ability to determine their own choices and right to influence social change for themselves and others, how much of this has been achieved in the west and still needs to be considered in Middle Eastern societies? Workplaces? Business spheres?
Empowering women and giving them a voice is vital in unleashing their full productive potential. The west has come a long way in this regard. Women in the west enjoy larger freedoms than women in Middle Eastern societies and have a good amount of say about their lives. While the Arab uprisings and transition have created the opportunity for greater gender equality, there are still so much to do. We have to stay focused on women’s participation in political processes so that women’s rights economic, cultural, social and political rights are protected and advanced, and preserved in the new constitutions.
We also know that when there are more women in parliament, when women and men lead together, decisions better reflect and respond to the diverse needs of society. This is so important because democracy grows stronger with the full and equal participation of women. Women were at the forefront of movements, leading protests, marches and social media campaigns to change their status quo and women should be at the forefront now in meaningful political participation so they can help chart the future of their countries. In parallel, empowering more women to work, results in better growth of third-world economies. This is because women’s economic empowerment, increases economic diversification, boosts productivity and income equality, resulting in other positive development outcomes.
All over the world, women have shown that no matter the difficulties, no matter the obstacles, women rise to the occasion. I see this wherever I go and it only motivates me to do more, to achieve stronger goals.
How much women around the globe still have to boost their self-esteem and shut down negativity and encourage other women to make their aspirations a living reality?
Low self-esteem can negatively affect every facet of one’s life, including their relationships, their job and their health. Unfortunately, women still need to boost their self-esteem as a result of all the bias received from their entourage. Women are constantly exposed to negativity as they’re often held to unrealistic standards of beauty displayed in magazines, on TV, and more recently on social media.
It is very important for women disregard negative comments online, at the office, in school, and wherever they go. Being aware of the circumstances and obstacles that many working women face, empowered women do not seek to compete or compare themselves with others, but instead fight to eliminate those barriers and invite other professionals to follow in their wake.
