* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
The debate about women's leadership and ambition needs a much wider lens and focus on impact, not just numbers
The debates ignited in recent weeks around women’s ambition, leadership, and the reality or myth of “having it all” have stoked steady commentary on the condition of the modern, Western, working woman. The conversation has been framed by such a narrow lens that I think we’re potentially left with more questions, more division, and less clarity about what it will really take for women—all women—to advance.
I think it’s clear that things are changing for women, but few have noticed that this change is also led by women. The conversation we need to have is about power: who has it, who doesn’t, and how does it shape and reshape the world for women?
The women I know exert, share, and spread power. They are social entrepreneurs, human rights lawyers, artists, and peace activists. The women I know want power because they believe they can do something positive with it. They want power because they know they can do something untested, unimagined, something that changes the game.
We only see half the story when we look outward to globalization, economic collapse, conflict, democratic transitions or instability, to explain or understand the global state of women. The way women perceive and wield power has always been distinct, and now that distinction has come to the fore. Women have long been excluded from traditional power structures, and as a result they relate to power differently than men.
Power is what catalyzes a reaction. For true leaders, it’s the means, never the end.
For Inez McCormack, the late Northern Irish activist who helped negotiate the Good Friday Agreement, power wasn’t the reward of the few in leadership: “Power is only as good as you use it to actually demonstrate what you’re going to do to get change for those who are not at the table…if you don’t ask who is not at the table, you’re part of the problem.”
In Afghanistan, for Andeisha Farid, power means leveraging your own advantage to invest in the future of others. Raised in refugee camps and now operating 11 orphanages, Andeisha benefited from an education and believes, “If each one of us who had some opportunity could contribute in our position as much as we have, we can rebuild Afghanistan easily and faster.”
OLD ORDER UPENDED
We need to shift the conversation around women from numbers to impact. We won’t get where we want to be—we won’t build the equitable, peaceful and prosperous world we envision—with incremental improvements in women’s representation in various spheres of society. It’s not presence we need to focus on, it’s power.
I’m working towards a world where ‘woman’ doesn’t have to qualify ‘leader’. It’s going to take a confluence of efforts and the powerful, collective will of unlikely allies. Business has a stake in women; government has a stake in women; the health and education of future generations have a stake in women.
What we’ve seen in these last few years is the upending of old orders; we’ve seen a profound shift in our thinking about power and how it’s used by those who are otherwise anonymous, unknown. Calls for fairness, for accountability and openness galvanized movements on Wall Street, in Tahrir, and online.
We’ve had to re-imagine the way we interact—the way we relate to one another. Influence isn’t just wielded from the corner office any more, it’s wielded from a twitter account. If we want to successfully navigate this new world, we need new thinking, new partners. We need leaders who leverage power to inspire collective empowerment. We need leaders who understand that we are interconnected, interdependent.
I believe that in this new environment, the unique qualities of women’s leadership take on new significance and power. There have been indisputable signs of progress. Those of us working on global women’s issues have a new vocabulary, a growing body of research, and greater understanding. We have more partners and more advocates than ever before.
For generations, women around the world were advocating for equality on grounds of fairness. After all, women make up half the global population. While these sentiments and the language of fairness bolster the argument for justice, there are more broadly compelling reasons for women’s full participation.
As women gain greater access and opportunities, their collective participation generates a kind of societal change unlike anything the world has ever seen. In some of the most difficult times, in many of the most dangerous places, women are taking on and chipping away at the world’s most serious problems. I believe that the strengths they possess, the behaviors that set them apart, are the ones that will lead us forward in the coming years: inclusiveness, conviction, creativity, mentorship, collaboration.
The data is out. It’s not the numbers we need to rally around any more—it’s a shift in our understanding. Women are the solution. They possess and wield power. It’s time we recognize and leverage women’s power as community leaders to affect positive change and advance shared progress for all.
