Barr. (Mrs.) Mfon Usoro is the President of Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Nigeria. She is also the first female president of the Institute. As part of activities to mark the 2022 International Women’s Day celebration today. Usoro shares this goodwill message.
The theme “BREAK THE BIAS” for the 2022 International Women’s Day underscores the fact that we are not yet at Eldorado in the quest for equal access to opportunities for men and women and all the advantages that result from the pursuit and implementation of the fundamental principles of equity, justice and fairness for everyone. Negative stereotypes and biases, both overt and unconscious against women are exhibited in various forms through overt discrimination and abuse as well as subtle innuendoes which together result in the narrowing of prospects for growth to the female folks. Yet WERISE.
We must not fail to acknowledge and to be inspired by the giant progress women have achieved in today’s world. We congratulate women who have risen to the pinnacle of their careers and the women who are still climbing regardless of the biases, including women who by choice, have chosen the path of home engineers and are making a success of it.
Many of us have risen above and continue to rise above the bias; shattering various glass ceilings along the way. It is our duty to keep the ladder up, to help other women attain their goals. We appreciate men that have been our champions and supporters in breaking the bias and the barriers.
I encourage us to continue working to create equal opportunities for women wherever we are, within CILT and elsewhere. It may create some discomfort to confront the reality that some of us women may be guilty of harbouring unconscious biases that unfortunately cast down fellow women.
To bring it closer to home, how many of us observe bad driving and automatically think “oh, it must be woman” or “no wonder, it’s a lady.”
How many of us giggle when the thinker vocalizes his or her unconscious bias? How many of us believe and perpetuate that divide and rule strategy that “women cannot work with fellow women”? We need to interrogate ourselves to assess what we have done to challenge such stereotypes. To play your role in breaking the bias means having the courage to challenge these attitudes in small and large ways.
We encourage women, young and mature to never doubt ourselves. To never shy away from a challenge or place limits on our ability simply because of what the society wants us to believe about our gender. Many female members of CILT are illustrious, accomplished career women and would never have reached those heights had we placed limits on what we thought we could achieve.
For the younger women, the world is yours for the taking. You are opportuned to live at a time when attitudes towards gender roles and stereotypes are changing towards the ideal of true gender equality. Do not be deterred, despite the challenges that you may encounter.
Create opportunities for yourselves, exploit available opportunities, invest in developing your skills, promote the visibility of your skills and seek counsel from women who have walked the path. Gender equality, the fight against harmful stereotypes and bias not a female only struggle. We want an equal, fair, inclusive society for all. We encourage the men who have been on the side-lines or view the struggle with amusement to join us in challenging stereotypes and breaking biases.
I am blessed to live in a time where I can issue this Statement as the first female President of CILT Nigeria. I use this opportunity to celebrate all the women in CILT, in WILAT and in Next Generation.
Today, on behalf of female members of CILT Nigeria, we celebrate the strength and tenacity of women all over the world in the face of the many biases that we have encountered and continue to encounter simply because we are women. Collectively, we can #BreakTheBias.
