INTERVIEW: MIND THE GAP: PROMOTING GENDER EQUALITY IN LEADERSHIP

Abstract

With globalization, the technological and digital revolution, and the opportunities they bring, the world of work is significantly changing for women. To bridge the gender gap and give women economic empowerment, unstable livelihoods and incomes, new trade policies, environmental impacts and the growing informality of labor must be addressed. The good news is that leaders can improve equality at their business and reap the manifold rewards of diversity, if they are willing to walk the talk. This interview with Pakistani non-profit leader and educator, Abaida Mahmood, examines the measures that are key to ensuring women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work. These include bridging the gender pay gap, which stands at 24 percent globally, addressing the gender gaps in leadership, challenging the barriers that prevent women from progressing and ensuring gender-responsive economic policies for job creation, implementing poverty reduction, and ensuring sustainable, inclusive growth. Abaida Mahmood is an English teacher and a trainer in London & has led the charitable organization, Qurban & Surraya Educational Trust, in Lahore, Pakistan since her father’s founding in 2002. As an advocate for the vulnerable, her work has empowered and transformed the lives of many young girls from dependent women into contributing members of the society. She travels extensively and has presented workshops for students and adults internationally. As a motivational speaker, her work has inspired many women into taking on leadership roles. Her well-known workshop, “Home Grown Leadership Models for Female Leadership,” is highly sought after and replicated by many educators globally. In this interview, Elizabeth C. Reilly, Professor and Chair of Educational Leadership at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California, USA, explores with Mrs. Mahmood the challenges and opportunities of promoting gender equality in leadership.