What it's really like to be a GESI professional

The rewards of working in gender equality and social inclusion, or GESI, are undeniable, but it's important to discuss the sector's complex realities. Despite increasing recognition of its importance, professionals often encounter systemic biases, limited resources, and institutional barriers that hinder their efforts to drive change.

Amid these challenges lies the potential for impactful advocacy and transformative action. However, it requires empowering local voices, fostering authentic leadership, and a commitment to driving meaningful change to ensure that development initiatives are reflective of the communities they serve.

In the leadup to International Women’s Day and to help aspiring GESI professionals navigate this field, Devex hosted a digital event featuring insights from Merit Hietanen, a senior gender adviser consultant, Thais Bessa, director of gender equality and social inclusion at Tetra Tech, and Yasmina Benslimane, founder of Politics4Her.

Here are a few key takeaways from our discussion.

Integrate GESI across the development board

The efficacy of GESI efforts hinges not only on the execution of specific projects but also on the ability to influence and integrate within the wider spectrum of programming. This involves understanding the nuances of various sectors as well as considering the underlying principles that guide effective development work.

“The money for actual GESI programming is also limited, so in the end, the real change happens in how you influence all the other programming and how you can affect the mainstreaming within that,” Hietanen explained.

“The better you understand the details of different types of programming, whether it's health, education, or whatever programming it might be, [as well as] the way they work and what their priorities are, the better you can understand how to push them to [the] mainstream,” she added.

Hietanen emphasized that such understanding calls for active engagement with local communities, transcending tokenism, and understanding what true participation, local ownership, and accountability really are.

Skillset pillars: curiosity, flexibility, and proactive engagement

Equality and inclusion relate to very ingrained personal beliefs and attitudes, as well as the norms in the society where we grew up, Bessa explained. That's why “nobody is immune to biases.”

“It's really important to always and constantly question our own perceptions, listen to others, and genuinely be curious about the world around us,” she added.

Because GESI is so enmeshed with individual perceptions, it's really important to be flexible, Bessa elaborated. “A GESI professional needs to read nuances well and meet individuals and organizations where they are, and drive the change from that starting point. What works to influence one person or one organization is not going to work with another one,” Bessa said.

Proactive engagement and advocacy are at the heart of advancing gender equality and social inclusion. Even when roles may not explicitly highlight these aspects, explained Bessa, looking for opportunities to contribute as a GESI resource and advocate for inclusive practices, “not only is important to build one's skills but also establishes credibility as a GESI expert,” she added.

Find your own path to impact

One's academic degree should not limit potential but rather serve as a foundation for continuous learning and growth. “Your degree does not define you. I did not necessarily study gender. I studied political science, international law, and forced migration,” highlighted Benslimane while emphasizing the importance of embracing a multifaceted approach to career development.

“I learned everything the hard way, by networking, going on Google or YouTube, and seeing how to use social media for change,” she said. “I’ve mentioned that I faced microaggressions, but to me, there's no such thing as a bad or good experience because it's a learning experience at the end of the day.”

“As intersectional feminists and as young people, we center our feminist leadership in care, compassion, understanding, sisterhood, and empowerment; which are not things that we always see in traditional jobs within the international development field. I think that it has been great to also see that we are using those values that are very often associated with feminine values to have a leadership reboot and to question traditional leadership as it is,” she added.

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