“Trying to be a man is a waste of a woman.” With those words Allison Pearson, author of I Don’t Know How She Does It, captured the essence of what women everywhere must feel when they have to go against the tide of socio-normative masculinity. Now, before you take offense, rest assured this is not a call to bash men in any way. But it is a reminder that the more things change, the more they actually need to change for women. This is especially true for women learning, working, and advancing in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics).
More than capable
As with most industries, STEAM disciplines are not immune to the challenges of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Women continue to navigate spaces where they are confronted with workplace bullying and harassment; discrimination and toxicity; lack of confidence and effective mentorship; adequate and fair compensation; and balancing the personal with the professional. As we speak, the majority of women in South Africa are bearing the national brunt of unemployment. In the past year, after navigating socio-economic challenges from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the stats confirm that Black women in particular, are hugely excluded from economic participation and continue to face pressure. Over 40% are unemployed, and that number is likely to keep on rising, notwithstanding the pay gap that already exists for those currently in employment. But there are inspirational women rising to the challenge and stepping into their remarkable courage with authority and authenticity. They are disrupting social hierarchies and showing that when the feminine embodies both the alpha and the beta personalities, it revolutionises leadership, optimizes performance, and engenders cooperation in a way that opens us up to integrate with greater transparency. Women are weaving the social fabric in science, innovation, and impact. As leading ladies, female founders, and bad-ass bosses, they are the three strand cord threaded by agency, activism, and advocacy.
Activism
All over the world, women have been mobilizing movements for generations as activists challenging the doctrines and practices that lacked direct and vigorous support for women in all forms of justice (social, economic, political, and environmental). From the Suffragettes to the #MeToo era, a lot of gains have been made on the frontlines of women empowerment and gender equality. Not surprisingly, the focus has historically been on the social and political spheres of society, confronting head-on the human rights violations of women and girls exposed to racial-based and gender-based forms of violence, discrimination, and exclusion. But the justice factor has always been a broader issue and women’s activism has advanced further into workplace culture, faith-based communities, business and industry leadership, and state governance. However, as women blaze new trails in sectors and spaces that were traditionally dominated by men, there are still naysayers and non-believers. But resistance is futile. Of particular relevance for DrMakoti, is to how the promotion and visibility of women in the sciences and the cultivation of younger generations of girls pursuing STEAM related disciplines has really taken off in the last decade. We have a global collective of women leaders in STEAM who are inspiring change. The likes of Dr Wangari Maathai (renowned environmentalist and conservationist), Dr Ayana Elizabeth Johnson (climate change activist and marine biologist), and Dr Esther Mahlangu (cultural ambassador and Indigenous knowledge specialist) are pioneers who show how the creative marriage of science, impact, and innovation continues to deliver tangible changes for social transformation and sustainable development. They are among many who have contributed to transformation so that women in STEAM are better supported, enable, and empowered to collaborate, lead, and contribute.
Dr Wangari Maathai, founder of the Green Belt Movement and first female (African) Nobel Laureate, was an environmental conservationist extraordinaire. She challenged unethical privatisation of public land that led to environmental degradation and displaced rural communities. Her immense contribution through social, environmental, and political activism has inspired a generation of young female storytellers, policy makers, and activists for environmental sustainability.
Dr Esther Mahlangu, a cultural ambassador whose artworks and mural commissions have shared her Ndebele heritage with the world, is an autodidact and considered a national treasure. Her life’s work is anchored in Indigenous knowledge and intergenerational storytelling. She continues to combine art with innovation through custom collaborations in tech and design, and her commitment to transferring her painting and beadwork skills to a younger generation is the essence of cultural preservation.
Dr Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is one of the leading voices in ocean science, amplifying the work of women (specifically women of colour) who are advancing an emerging Feminist Climate Renaissance. As a policy maker and scientist, she is part of a remnant of emerging and principled leadership giving urgency to the protections of our global ocean bodies, and the importance of a more coordinated leadership approach from science, investment promotion, indigenous preservation, and political will.
Agency
A great consequence of women’s activism, such as demonstrated by these three iconic figures, is the evident shift that comes with individual agency, when women increasingly lead on decisions, setting goals, and making choices to take creative and bold action. We sometimes take it for granted that there are pockets of societies across the world where a woman’s ability to act upon her reflections and aspirations is not a given. Much of the social engineering in societies has historically relegated women to the backstage, as individuals, in family, and in industry. So, it is a wonder when audacious women command the stage through participation in markets, politics, networks, workplaces, and communities. Something magical happens when women begin to pool together and flood these avenues with courageous leadership and empirical insight. And mind you, we are not just talking about ranking and positional titles but growing influence through coordinated efforts.
Advocacy
As women taking a stand and taking ownership, we have become mission-driven to organize and promote the sustainable development of women and girls. Through the lens of human rights, social empowerment, and gender equality, the tide is turning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. From aerospace to outer space, whether in the design of business or the business of design, or pivoting between science fiction and science fact, the wave is building momentum and the arts are riding it into shore. It is unmistakable that the female effect in science, impact, and innovation is wonderfully captured in conversations, storytelling, creative curation, and exhibition. A prime example is Ntokozo Mbuli owner of Sugar Bean Pictures, a media production company dedicated to capturing cultural and environmental conservation narratives. Ntokozo, who is also an Eisenhower Fellow, together with her team recently worked on Imvelogy, a hybrid nature-culture series that frames the contemporary relevance of cultural heritage to the renaissance of environmental science and climate resilience. And that is not all. We see new ways of applying science, innovation, and impact in social narratives through sustainable fashion, equalizing finance, revolutionizing health and education for women and girls, and re-imagining work, play and rest. This is not only true for science, innovation, and impact. It is true for the creative economy of all things future forward, inclusive, and sustainable
You are needed
That is the thing about activism, agency, and advocacy … It is the freedom of thinking out of the box, stepping out of the comfort zone, and applying yourself in creative ways that you never tapped into before. We all want that, right?! To become the ones who are daring, leaning in, and not just taking a seat at the table, but reserving more tables for more women to take up space. . It is what The Female Quotient reminds us of: “When you add women to any equation, there is a return on equality.” And when you wake up to that truth, and begin to own it, your eyes suddenly see all the systemic layers that have covered over the things that really matter. And the work to uncover that and get to the root of the system requires a coordinated approach, strategic thinking, and informed decision making. In doing that, we begin to rise and when we rise, we lift others. The true strength of woman becomes less about me, and more about us … In the words of Dr Maya Angelou: “You make me proud to spell my name W-O-M-A-N.” It is with that strength of pride that we can become the change we want to see and take the future of science, innovation, and impact to new heights.