In honour of 2022’s International Women’s Day - #BreakTheBias, we spoke to 5 accomplished women to help us understand how important this year’s theme is.
International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on 8th March to highlight and acknowledge the cultural, social, political, and economic achievements of women, globally. It raises awareness on the equality of women and aims at supporting gender parity.
Every year, International Women's Day is given a theme. Each theme highlights and relates to the struggles, trends, and events that are shaping our society. The theme for 2022 is “break the bias” and it campaigns for a world that is gender-equal.
We went on a quest to discover what “breaking the bias” really meant to women in various professions.
Here is what five brilliant women had to say about breaking the bias.
Victoria Ndetei
Meet Victoria, Customer Experience Specialist at Fuzu.
What do you do outside of your profession?
I mostly enjoy doing things I like, such as cooking and spending time with family and friends. Currently, I am taking classes that help me transition in my career by building my skills.
What does "breaking the bias" mean to you?
Breaking the bias to me is going above the stereotype norms and cultures.
It is very female-dominated and with very little or small growth opportunities.
What barriers do you face in your field of work?
Women sometimes may be influenced especially if they are in top management and will think of themselves first and look down upon others. There is a lot of discrimination to get a seat at such levels.
What do you think should be done to break the barriers and biases in your career?
Adopt the culture of training and developing others other than oneself. Give growth opportunities equally- If one has the skills and competencies required they should be given an opportunity.
Judy Muchiri
Meet Judy, People Operations Specialist at Fuzu.
What do you do outside of your profession?
I love watching true story documentaries/short documentaries (my way of understanding what is happening around the world. This is how I keep up to date with news). Additionally, I like trying out new cuisines.
What does "breaking the bias" mean to you?
It means being conscious that there exist various differences in people but actively providing equality in access to communal benefits.
What barriers do you face in your field of work?
Most HRs/Recruiters are not aware of unconscious bias, which is a bias that happens naturally. Bias triggered by quick judgement of people.
What do you think should be done to break the barriers and biases in your career?
Know the causes and actively take steps to minimize the bias. Pause and think before making a decision.
Mercy Mwangi
Meet Mercy, Client Delivery Associate at Fuzu.
What do you do outside of your profession?
I focus on two other things; Being a member of Toastmasters International where I invest in my Communication and Leadership skills and planning events for friends and family.
What does "breaking the bias" mean to you?
Breaking the bias means questioning as much as I can. It's sort of required of me as a woman to be complacent and grateful for whatever is given and I am frowned upon once I start challenging the system when I know I deserve better.
What barriers do you face in your field of work?
The classic barrier of gender stereotypes whereas as a woman, the standards set for me are Subjective; am I nice, caring, social, gentle? While the standards set for male colleagues are Objective: competence at work.
What do you think should be done to break the barriers and biases in your work?
What should be done consistently is an assessment of biases by the Leadership in Organisations and Policy Makers in Government. Let us continue checking for unconscious biases, enforce inclusive leadership, empowerment and protection of all at work among others and make adjustments.
Diana Wamakima
Meet Diana, Director of B2C at Fuzu.
What do you do outside of your profession?
I love baking, I find it very relaxing so I have a bakery business as my side hustle. I also love knitting and crocheting.
What does “breaking the bias” mean to you?
That you can be your authentic self, without having to conform to the status quo. The early part of my career was spent in the engineering field so I felt I had to conform to the male-dominated field but over the years I have found that when I’m myself at work I’m at my best.
What barriers do you face in your field of work?
I recently got married, so one of the things top of mind is starting a family. I have historically prioritized my career over my personal life but with marriage and kids, priorities change so I’m now having to think about the impact my choices will have on my career, for example, will it slow down if I were to take maternity leave? This is less of a consideration for men since their bodies are not impacted like ours so sometimes I feel that because of that I am already on unequal footing.
What do you think should be done to break the barriers and biases in your career?
If companies truly do value equality at work then some accommodations need to be present at the workplace.
For example at my bakery, I allow the female staff with kids to have flexible hours so that they can see their children off to school.
Ivy Njeri
Meet Ivy, Creative Content Lead at Fuzu.
What do you do outside of your profession?
I'm a singer. I train three times a week with a vocal coach to ensure I'm hitting those notes well.
What does breaking the bias mean to you?
Bringing down the walls of our perceptions of what women can and cannot do.
What barriers do you face in your field of work?
There's this idea that women need to get to the highest point of their career before they start a family. Women who don't subscribe to this are almost seen as defiant.
How can women break this barrier?
By being consciously aware that "this barrier" is a myth. It's a lie that has been fed to us over several years. There are also changes that need to be effected at policy level to support women achieve career success and raise their families simultaneously
The bottom line...
The #BreakTheBias Campaign is about acknowledging that bias makes it hard for women to advance in all aspects of their lives. It helps society notice the biases and take action by leveling the ground for all genders. As you celebrate International Women’s Day, reflect on these questions: What gender biases exist in your environment? And how are you helping to level the playing field in society?
