This year’s IWD theme is about Embracing Equity and forging equity isn’t limited to women solely fighting for change, allies play an important role in change. Who have you identified as allies throughout your career?
I do believe in the saying ‘a problem shared is a problem halved.’ Having a network of support has been key in every stage of my career. It started with professors during my university years, and then expanded on to mentors – both internal and external- including, senior colleagues, and team members who continue to act as a sounding board of my ideas on a daily basis. These have all been my natural allies. Knowing you have people to bounce back ideas with and that have your back when things don’t go as planned has been key to boosting my confidence and resilience throughout my professional career.
In your opinion, how do our individual actions, conversations, behaviours and mindsets have an impact on our larger society?
I don’t believe collective action is possible without individual action. Anything we do as individuals has the potential to create collective change. And this change often starts with self-awareness. Paying attention to how specific situations, comments or actions make us feel often bring behavioural insights that can be even more powerful than collective actions to prompt individual action and, indirectly, have an impact on our larger society.
What do you believe will be the biggest challenge for the next generation of women?
One of the main challenges new generations of women will face, especially those in the technology sector, is the lack of female role models. Disproportionate representation of women in engineering positions is still a reality. This is due to a number of reasons, including the lack of understanding of the sector, the lack of qualifications, etc. To bridge this gender gap and ensure new generations of women in tech & engineering have role models to look up to, we must invest in education systems that inspire and advocate for women to enter these sectors, as well as development opportunities and mentorship programmes that can inspire the new generation of female leaders.
What’s the role for brands in driving equity and gender parity?
Brands have a fundamental role to play in making headway to equity and gender parity. They have the potential to help raise awareness, influence mindsets, and support positive culture shifts that can impact businesses, employees and society at large. Increasingly, we see brands taking action, but it is important that they go beyond just ticking a box. As seen in the Trust Barometer, brands are expected to dig deeper, building value by tackling societal issues and taking action. They can play a key role in helping drive equity and gender parity.
ABOUT MARTA GUASCH
Marta Guasch is an Associate Director in the London Technology team.
