The Global Search for Education: How Are We Doing on the Gender Agenda? – Millennials Weigh In

In an interview with CMRubinWorld, Dr. Linda Scott, Emeritus DP World Chair for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Said Business School, University of Oxford, reminds us that the gender gap is everywhere, “real and measurable” and not a “figment of some feminist’s imagination.” The global research confirms that gender inequality “retards economic growth, perpetuates poverty,” and “is bad for families.” 

It’s long been globally debated and agreed that solutions to economic crises and sustainable growth lie in making the most of all our available human resources. So how are we doing on the Gender Agenda? Our Millennial Bloggers are based all over the world. They are innovators in entrepreneurship, journalism, education, entertainment, and academic scholarship. This month we asked them to discuss the reasons behind gender inequality in the workforce and the possible solutions they see to the problem.

“‘You mould your earth when it’s wet’, goes a Sierra Leonean adage, and I have never agreed with it more when it comes to gender equality,” writes Alusine Barrie. “We must focus our resources on interventions that create opportunities which provide successful experiences of an equal world. Sensitization is the first step, experiences are what influence attitudes.” Read: A Much Easier Way to Win The Battle for Gender

“While conversations about privilege, and experiences of gender-race-class oppression are being recognized, spoken about, and now considered legitimate concerns in many spaces, in so many spaces, the opposite is true,” writes Dominique Dryding. “Millennials are the future CEO’s, Presidents and Parents. It is our responsibility to make these incremental changes.” Read: What’s on Your Gender Agenda?

“Where are all the strong role models for girls who want to become engineers and programmers? I find this lack of role models both in literacy and tech alarming. In Britain, a shocking number of children leave primary school unable to read properly. We should try to see past the feminine/masculine side of things and provide new role models for the youth,” writes Reetta Heiskanen. Read: More role models needed: both in literacy and tech

“What I see is a messy process where men and women are starting to view themselves on a spectrum – where you are not masculine or feminine, but rather just … a person with interests. And our parents aren’t sure how to handle it all the time.… But they do love us. And they want us to love ourselves. Cause, if you can’t love yourself how in the hell are you gonna love someone else?” writes Jacob Navarrete. Read: Choices

A youth survey in India found that “40% of its respondents — over 6000 young Indians between the ages of 15 and 34 across 19 cities — agreed with the proposition that women should not work after marriage,” writes Harmony Siganporia. “I think our only hope is to realize that no one is free till everyone is; it is to recognize - and inevitably do the hard work that such recognition necessarily demands of us as a corollary - that intersectionality is our only hope for salvation.” Read: Gender as Delusion/Reality; Inequity

“I wince a little reaching back, mainly from an unmistakably male authoritarianism that made most of us feel insignificant or inadequate. Some of these things don’t fade away when the setting shifts and the sexes are mingling – they’re subtly etched inside us,” writes James Kernochan. Read: Same Time, Another Place: Old-School Becoming a Man

“As men wield more significant political and economic power, engaging men and boys will ensure changes are brought in more quickly. We need to break the false mindset that men and boys are threatened by women’s empowerment. We need to encourage more men and boys to step up to the role of gender equality advocate,” writes Bonnie Chiu. Read: Encouraging men and boys to become gender equality advocates

“If it were indeed true that women got paid less money than men, why don’t businesses hire all women and cut their biggest expenses, wage costs, by 23%? Because it’s simply not true,” writes Wilson Carter III. “So perhaps those who believe in gender inequality are simply bad at math or maybe they’re just really bad at telling the truth.” Read: Gender Inequality - The Wage Gap

“When women love the work they do and they’re really good at it, they often learn to live with the crap or find a way to handle the crap. The way that I learned to handle it is through humor. If I could get away with it, I’d tease the guys back. But you have to be careful that they don’t start thinking you’re a bitch,” says Mary Rita Cooke Greenwood, former Associate Director for Science in the White House Office of Science and Technology, in an exclusive interview with Francisco Hernandez. “But, hey: bitches get it done.” Read: “Bitches Get it Done”: Or, Why Hillary Lost

The Millennial Bloggers are Alusine Barrie, Sajia Darwish, James Kernochan, Kamna Kathuria, Jacob Deleon Navarrete, Reetta Heiskanen, Shay Wright, Isadora Baum, Wilson Carter III, Francisco Hernandez, Erin Farley, Dominique Alyssa Dryding, Harry Glass, Harmony Siganporia and Bonnie Chiu. These remarkable young people have produced shows and founded companies. They have been featured on Forbes ‘Asia 30 Under 30’ list and honored by Asian Women of Achievement Awards. They have been awarded numerous scholarships and fellowships. They hold Bachelors, Masters, and Doctoral degrees. They run schools and train educators in underprivileged communities. They have taught all over the globe in environments ranging from maximum security prisons to elementary schools.

(Photos are courtesy of CMRubinWorld)

Top Row: C.M. Rubin, Alusine Barrie, Sajia Darwish, James Kernochan

2nd Row: Kamna Kathuria, Jacob Deleon Navarrete, Reetta Heiskanen, Shay Wright

3rd Row: Isadora Baum, Wilson Carter III, Francisco Hernandez, Erin Farley

Bottom Row: Dominique Alyssa Dryding, Harry Glass, Harmony Siganporia, Bonnie Chiu

Join me and globally renowned thought leaders including Sir Michael Barber (UK), Dr. Michael Block (U.S.), Dr. Leon Botstein (U.S.), Professor Clay Christensen (U.S.), Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond (U.S.), Dr. MadhavChavan (India), Professor Michael Fullan (Canada), Professor Howard Gardner (U.S.), Professor Andy Hargreaves (U.S.), Professor Yvonne Hellman (The Netherlands), Professor Kristin Helstad (Norway), Jean Hendrickson (U.S.), Professor Rose Hipkins (New Zealand), Professor Cornelia Hoogland (Canada), Honourable Jeff Johnson (Canada), Mme. Chantal Kaufmann (Belgium), Dr. EijaKauppinen (Finland), State Secretary TapioKosunen (Finland), Professor Dominique Lafontaine (Belgium), Professor Hugh Lauder (UK), Lord Ken Macdonald (UK), Professor Geoff Masters (Australia), Professor Barry McGaw (Australia), Shiv Nadar (India), Professor R. Natarajan (India), Dr. Pak Tee Ng (Singapore), Dr. Denise Pope (US), Sridhar Rajagopalan (India), Dr. Diane Ravitch (U.S.), Richard Wilson Riley (U.S.), Sir Ken Robinson (UK), Professor Pasi Sahlberg (Finland), Professor Manabu Sato (Japan), Andreas Schleicher (PISA, OECD), Dr. Anthony Seldon (UK), Dr. David Shaffer (U.S.), Dr. Kirsten Sivesind (Norway), Chancellor Stephen Spahn (U.S.), Yves Theze (LyceeFrancais U.S.), Professor Charles Ungerleider (Canada), Professor Tony Wagner (U.S.), Sir David Watson (UK), Professor Dylan Wiliam (UK), Dr. Mark Wormald (UK), Professor Theo Wubbels (The Netherlands), Professor Michael Young (UK), and Professor Minxuan Zhang (China) as they explore the big picture education questions that all nations face today.

The Global Search for Education Community Page

C. M. Rubin is the author of two widely read online series for which she received a 2011 Upton Sinclair award, “The Global Search for Education” and “How Will We Read?” She is also the author of three bestselling books, including The Real Alice in Wonderland, is the publisher of CMRubinWorld and is a Disruptor Foundation Fellow.

Follow C. M. Rubin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@cmrubinworld