Saturday, 11 May 2013

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY CELEBRATIONS: SCOUTING & GENDER MANAGEMENT Compiled by: Olusoga Sofolahan-Atiioke (Olori Omo-Oba)(LT/MT)




GENDER MANAGEMENT:
“…not just out of a sense of fairness, but to ensure that the very best minds, men‘s and women‘s alike, are brought together to address the challenges that our societies face!”
(Frank Brown, Dean of Insead)

Gender is not just a social concern but a competitive edge to address global challenges. Did you know there is an under-representation of women in Organizations, particularly in management and decision making positions?
Apart from legal requirements however, it is a fact that women represent over half of the global talent pool and therefore should be at the forefront of the economic and social scene. The business case for ensuring a more gender balanced approach to leadership is undisputed; numerous studies have proven that corporations with more women in top management have better financial performance.
The “Excellence in Leadership - Women make a Difference” – workshop provides a solid case for change and the requisite insights and guidance for individuals and corporations to address gender management as an issue of urgency.
Targets of the workshops are:
  • to share key learning from most recent studies on leadership and gender issues
  • to explore the distinguishing role gender plays in leadership
  • to give room for self-reflection concerning individual contribution to the leadership function
  • to explore your companies appreciation of  the leadership style more broadly practiced by women
  • to debate as a leadership group the fit between the leadership style broadly practiced by women and your companies leadership culture
  • to explore and share best practice on how corporations can best approach gender management in leadership
08 of March every year is celebrated as the United Nations International Women’s Day. This year, International Women’s Day focuses on achieving momentum in the fight for gender equality, and the specific theme is “A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women.”

            
A victim of sexual violence, Beatrice is gradually learning to live again thanks to moral and financial support provided by her Community Centre in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo.
"This year on International Women’s Day, convert outrage into action. We declare that we will prosecute crimes against women – and never allow women to be subjected to punishments for the abuses they have suffered. We renew our pledge to combat this global health menace wherever it may lurk – in homes and businesses, in war zones and placid countries, and in the minds of people who allow violence to continue."
United Nations Secretary-General's Message
As we commemorate International Women’s Day, we must look back on a year of shocking crimes of violence against women and girls and ask ourselves how to usher in a better future. One young woman was gang-raped to death. Another committed suicide out of a sense of shame that should have attached to the perpetrators. Young teens were shot at close range for daring to seek an education.
These atrocities, which rightly sparked global outrage, were part of a much larger problem that pervades virtually every society and every realm of life. Look around at the women you are with. Think of those you cherish in your families and your communities. And understand that there is a statistical likelihood that many of them have suffered violence in their lifetime. Even more have comforted a sister or friend, sharing their grief and anger following an attack.
This year on International Women’s Day, we convert our outrage into action. We declare that we will prosecute crimes against women – and never allow women to be subjected to punishments for the abuses they have suffered. We renew our pledge to combat this global health menace wherever it may lurk – in homes and businesses, in war zones and placid countries, and in the minds of people who allow violence to continue. We also make a special promise to women in conflict situations, where sexual violence too often becomes a tool of war aimed at humiliating the enemy by destroying their dignity.
To those women we say: the United Nations stands with you. As Secretary-General, I insist that the welfare of all victims of sexual violence in conflict must be at the forefront of our activities. And I instruct my senior advisors to make our response to sexual violence a priority in all of our peace-making, peacekeeping and peacebuilding activities. The United Nations system is advancing our UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign, which is based on the simple but powerful premise that all women and girls have a fundamental human right to live free of violence.
This week in New York, at the Commission on the Status of Women, the world is holding the largest-ever UN assembly on ending violence against women. We will make the most of this gathering – and we keep pressing for progress long after it concludes. I welcome the many governments, groups and individuals who have contributed to this campaign. I urge everyone to join our effort. Whether you lend your funds to a cause or your voice to an outcry, you can be part of our global push to end this injustice and provide women and girls with the security, safety and freedom they deserve.
Ban Ki-moon
Women's Empowerment
UNDP focuses on gender equality and women’s empowerment not only as human rights, but also because they are a pathway to achieving the Millennium Development Goals and sustainable development.
Our Goals
UNDP coordinates global and national efforts to integrate gender equality and women’s empowerment into poverty reduction, democratic governance, crisis prevention and recovery, and environment and sustainable development. Through our global network, we work to ensure that women have a real voice in all governance institutions, from the judiciary to the civil service, as well as in the private sector and civil society, so they can participate equally with men in public dialogue and decision-making and influence the decisions that will determine the future of their families and countries.
SCOUTING: Strategic Priority 3: Girls and Boys, Women and Men
The aim of this strategic priority is to identify the support and tools required to help National Scout Organizations (NSOs) offer equality of opportunity to girls and boys, women and men at all levels in Scouting. This should offer new opportunities for everyone and, through an increase in youth membership and adult leadership, result in a more even balance in the   male:female ratio in associations.
Women in leadership in Scouting in Africa - At the recent Africa Scout Conference there were women in a number of leadership roles. These women, as well as taking on considerable responsibility, are role-models for others.
Myths about women in executive positions
Myth 1: Women don't want to become leaders & managers (False)

Answer: Once women are given right Education, they have the opportunities to become leaders & Managers as they desire.

Myth 2: Women don't have the same managerial skills as men (False)

Answer: Women and Men have the same Managerial skills, even Women are more skillful than men.

Myth 3: Women have the wrong training (True)

Answer: Most Women do not have the right Training, they Train they to end up within the Kitchen alone, but there are Administrative & Management Training that Women could have, so as to take them to the top of their Careers.

Myth 4: Women do not have enough experience (False)

Answer: Research has shown that; Women have more Experiences than Men, even on the issues of life.

Myth 5: Top executives work an 80-hour week (False)

Answer: Top executives work hours vary, and is not fixed. 80 hours could be ideal but not fixed.

Myth 6: Top jobs and parenthood are irreconcilable – for women (False)

Answer: Top jobs and parenthood can be worked together, provided it is planned well.

Myth 7: It’s just a matter of time before we have a gender balance at the top (True)

Answer: Through various Awareness programs, Skills development and perseverance, Women will be at the top of Organizations.



                                        





                  

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