How to become a gender-sensitive leader

At the Asian Development Bank’s annual Digital Strategies for Development Forum, a male moderator called participants’ attention to the gender imbalance in one panel, which consisted of five men and two women. “This was not intentional,” said the moderator Sreenivas Narayanan, managing director for the nongovernmental organization Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST). In recent years, there have been increasing calls in development conferences and other important gatherings to diversify the composition of their panel of speakers and decision makers. The International Gender Champions, a network composed of leaders in the development sector that pledged to break down gender barriers, had asked its members to sign a pledge on panel parity, which allows them to actively advocate for equal gender representation in panels they are invited to join. While there is progress in some conferences, males still make up the majority of panel composition. A brainstorming session between the World Health Organization and the World Bank recently got negative attention on Twitter for the seeming absence of women in the gathering. Women leaders called on WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim to change this practice and “balance the scale”. But how can development leaders become more sensitive to gender imbalances? Devex caught up with ASSIST’s Narayanan for advice on important first steps. Make gender an integral part of your organizational setup “We were very conscious in this event the to make sure that for every panel there’s women representation, not as an afterthought, but as an integral part of our organizational set up for the program,” Narayanan said. At ASSIST, gender, he added, is a foundational requirement for all projects, as well as in the organization’s composition. Develop a structural approach to gender “Sometimes, many people always go with guides. If there is a structural approach, people will tend to start following these things. Like the Sustainable Development Goals, everybody is now looking into them,” he said, noting often that people have the right intentions, but lack guidance on how to translate those intentions into action. Setting out specific guidelines early on within your organization or while planning events can integrate gender-relevant matters into the decision-making process. Make it personal “Unless you make a conscious decision you can’t start anywhere. So, either you’re personally a great proponent of (gender equality) or there is no motivation,” Narayanan said. He looks at his mother as having a big influence on how he sees women and their impact on and contribution to society. Devex delivers cutting-edge insights and analysis to the leaders shaping and innovating the business of development. Make sure you don't miss out. Become a Devex Executive Member today.