Find out what these four women had to say about breaking the bias as we celebrate International Women's Day 2022.
Imagine a world devoid of gender discrimination, stereotypes, and bias to help us achieve a sustainable future for generations coming after us. Well, that is why millions of people across the globe are working towards this goal with the hope of getting us to this utopia sooner than later.
The theme for this year’s International Women's Day is “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow” which pushes to #BreakTheBias so we can all be able to champion for an equal future.
We had the opportunity of speaking to these 4 amazing ladies for this year’s International Women’s Day feature about barriers and biases they face in their careers and how we can all #BreakTheBias to better achieve gender equality.
Primera Muthoni
Primera Muthoni is a product specialist at MTN Uganda with 10+ years of telecommunications experience. She is also a specialist in human-centered design and consequently leads the user experience design sessions for products and services. She is also part of the MTN Youth Skilling Project team and is passionate about coaching and mentoring. Primera is an active mentor of Project Girls for Girls – a Harvard initiative whose mission is to empower women to lead. She is part of the team that leads the G4G Book Club, the G4G Writing Club, the G4G Womenpreneurs Forum, and the Programs and Events team.
What do you do outside your profession?
I am a mentor at Project Girls for Girls, it is an organization built to support women that want to thrive in the area of leadership and I mostly support the STEM cohorts. I find so much joy when women thrive.
I also lead a Womenpreneurs Network that is seeking to grow the G4G Alumni ladies in the area of business by ensuring that they create valuable networks that will enable their businesses to grow.
What does “breaking the bias” mean to you?
It means inclusiveness of gender in all aspects of our lives. This means we shall look at every area of our lives and let both genders feel valued and engaged equally. Imagine what that day would look like when you apply for a job.
What barriers do you face in your field of work?
I have been privileged to work in an environment where I have not had to ask for anyone to pay attention to my gender or feel that my gender has been a major part of a decision process that involved my work. However, I am aware of the barriers and I have seen some of the ladies I know losing a job because they are expecting, not getting any maternity leave, or very little time off.
What do you think should be done to break the barriers and biases in your career?
A mindset change! This topic should not be something we talk about in March alone! I hope we are all intentional and extremely aware of bias going forward. Secondly, we must speak up and be very intentional about it in the workplace and lastly, we should take feedback from our colleagues well and take action on it.
Nina Mago
What do you do outside your profession?
I am a nail technician and an artist that enjoys experiencing new cultures.
What does “breaking the bias” mean to you?
It means breaking stereotypes and fighting for social inclusion. Being accepted and celebrated for who I am and not what the world prefers me to be.
What barriers do you face in your field of work?
Being undermined on the basis of age, gender, and living with a neurological condition.
What do you think should be done to break the barriers and biases in your career?
Creating awareness and breaking the stereotypical mindsets we still uphold as a society. Mentoring more young women to make their mark in this space.
Brenda Mpiirwa
What do you do outside your profession?
Outside my profession as an interior designer, I love reading magazines, books, and I watch a lot of TV to unwind. I also travel as much as any year can allow me to.
What barriers do you face in your field of work?
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Lack of appreciation for the value interior designers bring to any project. This is mostly a knowledge gap.
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Working in a male-dominated industry means everyone questions my capabilities as a woman. From the site porters to the masons, the engineers, and the suppliers. I constantly find myself having to explain my decisions over and over because I am a woman in construction. While it bothers me sometimes, I am learning that time always tells which it already is.
What do you think should be done to break the barriers and biases in your career?
As women, we need to do our best at bringing excellence to whichever table we come to but mostly the table where men are dominating, like our industry. We need to stand up and be counted and that’s the only way how.
We also need to have more women in the value chain of the construction industry. More female architects, civil engineers, interior designers, and even craftspeople doing carpentry, masonry works, painting, etc. This will change the way society looks at this field. It would flatten the curve and lower the barriers.
Mary Kwagala
What do you do outside your profession?
Interior design. I enjoy looking at well-set-up spaces, I started doing this after friends kept saying they love my house every time they visited so I started doing it first for free until some started paying.
I am also very passionate about staying in shape and keeping my mind active especially because I do business development. I work out at least thrice a week, which probably explains my well-maintained weight.
I love watching basketball and lastly, I really love God. Not as a hobby or other business but it's a passion that draws from within. My God is amazing!
What does “breaking the bias” mean to you?
Breaking bias to me means taking up spaces with belief that you shall do it and win irrespective of your gender, race, religion, background, etc.
Personally, I am here to break records and bias, I have seen myself execute well in jobs and roles formally considered to be for the other gender.
I am inspired to see women take up spaces, which explains why I love women like my mother (name withheld), Specioza Kazibwe, Rebecca Kadaga, and our current prime minister Hon. Robinah Nabbanja. The latter has really challenged everyone and I am proud of her. I wish she knew.
What barriers do you face in your field of work?
Business Development involves a lot of pressure. Dealing with that pressure requires a natural trait that I believe I possess, but there are days when work pressure couples up with family pressure
Balancing work-family pressure as a woman isn’t a joke and it only gets worse if there are school-going toddlers involved - women in sales know it.
At this point you need support. Now for me, I am fortunate to have the support; I have got the best manager in the whole world, and the team I work with is very supportive. But what about ladies in sales working with those other bosses?
Finally, the unspoken thing that all nice-looking ladies in Sales might agree with me on is expecting a “YES” from a male prospect you said “NO” to! I will leave it at that.
What do you think should be done to break the barriers and biases in your career?
Companies should hire based on the ability to execute irrespective of gender. All the jobs I have been hired for were on merit; I proved to be more than capable and I’m grateful for the platform to showcase that women can also do it.
My department is composed of mostly men and 1 lady (myself), but I love that I am able to give them a run for their money. We have lots of healthy competition going on and they don’t win all the time; I defeat them too and they know it.
