Why we need to step outside of our own bubbles
We have started an interview series with Gender and Diversity experts across sectors in Switzerland. How do they relate to their own gender? What are the current challenges and opportunities they see and what inspires them? Through their voices we aim to bring awareness to gender and diversity work and inspire further action towards creating inclusive workplaces in Switzerland.
Our first interviewee, Fleur Heyworth, is based in Geneva where she works together with academics, diplomats, NGOs and businesses to identify tools and strategies to promote greater senior level representation of women, and more equality in society, the economy and politics.
Fleur Heyworth, Head of Gender and Inclusive Security, Geneva Centre for Security Policy.
Designs and facilitates courses on gender and leadership to create more inclusive working environments. Ms. Heyworth is also responsible for the International Gender Champions Secretariat.
“Deep listening is key. We were given two ears and one mouth for a reason: we need to listen twice as much as we talk. “
- Fleur Heyworth
When and how did you realise that gender played a role in your own life?
Growing up, I had equal opportunities in accessing education, and entered a male-dominated profession as a Barrister-at-law. I knew about the challenges of gender inequality and discrimination, particularly as they played out in the family courts and impacted relations in the homes and showed up in domestic violence. But I believed we could ‘evolve’ towards a more equal landscape with legal amendments, education and awareness.
The structural barriers were not as significant nor obvious to me until I had children. I then realised that caring was not valued or supported by the state, the costs of childcare were prohibitive and legally my husband could not share parental leave. I also started to understand how hard it must be for families who did not have the privileges and opportunities we had.
Once I got the gender lenses on I couldn't take them off anymore. I started seeing inequality in different spaces and became passionate about trying to support individuals and organisations to navigate and change the current systems.
Professor Michael Kimmel states ‘privilege is invisible to those who have it’ and I agree: it is not easy to understand different realities unless you put yourself in someone else’s shoes.
What inspires and motivates you to do this work?
I believe there is a great potential and realistic possibility that we can address the big challenges we face. We have the wisdom and the talent but we are not harnessing it as we could. I try to share ideas and help advance our understanding of the role we all play, as well as contribute to developing the skills and tools we need to advance more effectively. For me all of this centers around learning, and I am learning everyday. The more I do this work the more I see connections between people and organisations and I try to spark positive action for change.
What are your biggest challenges?
We tend to see gender and inclusion issues as problems to be fixed. Some are in a sense: changing discriminatory laws, shifting processes to gather disaggregated data and more responsive policies, getting more women into decision-making positions. However, a problem-solving mindset can both miss the bigger picture and the tensions, which can create resistance and backlash.
In my opinion, we need a holistic approach which really analyses the socio-economic and political structures so that we don’t instrumentalise women and exclude men. If we focus on supporting women because they help teams and organisations to get ‘better results’ whilst they are still doing most of the care work at home, they carry a double burden. At the same time we neglect the shifting roles and needs of men both at home and at work, and are in danger of adding pressure to everyone instead of creating win-wins.
Win-wins are achievable, but they often encompass tensions that have to be managed over time. For example, both individuals and organisations have needs which may be different and we need to pay attention to both; shared core values are helpful whilst staying open to other values.
Nurturing participation and inclusion requires a certain mindset and skills. It requires a willingness to engage in dialogue, to adapt and learn as our environment and personal experiences evolve and this is not always easy. Amy Edmundson’s work on psychological safety is a key concept I return to when talking about these topics within teams and organisations. We need to be able to acknowledge our mistakes and model curiosity.
If you could change one aspect in the gender equality and inclusion field, what would it be?
Definitely more equitable family friendly child-care policies because they influence what happens in the organisations, too. If my husband had taken 6 months of paternity leave after I had taken my 6 months of maternity leave, it would have changed the dynamics at home and at work, as well as the value placed on caring in general. It would also have meant that my female peers, who were looking for work in their 30s, would not be discriminated against because they might have children. There are many talented and dedicated women who are stepping out of the workplace because they have children, and then struggling hard to manage the return. Once they leave the organisations many doors shut and it is hard to open them again.
What new possibilities do you see around you and would like to give more space to?
I strongly support the gender champions concept (female & male leaders determined to break down gender barriers and make gender equality a working reality in their spheres of influence), because leadership is key, and the commitments that gender champions make are personal. This helps people to understand that gender equality and inclusion comes down to personal commitments and actions.
In the peacekeeping and mediation field, women's participation in peace processes is increasingly valued however political actions need to follow - opening up the spaces and funding education and awareness raising for everyone, both women and those traditionally holding power.
What does inclusion mean to you?
For me it means challenging my assumptions about others and taking the time to put myself in somebody else's shoes. And that works on different levels far beyond the gender binary. We need to be able to recognise intersectional identities and value both cognitive diversity and diversity of experience. For example, a junior staff member could be spending a day in the shoes of their manager, and vice versa. Radical inclusion requires us to recognise the boundaries and structures that surround us and to regularly step outside of our own bubbles. It is important to increase our awareness and to understand how others see the world and experience us.
How do you embody inclusion in your own life?
I try to frame my leadership role as learning for myself and my colleagues, and to acknowledge my own fallibility, that I don't have all the answers and I do make mistakes. And through that go into deep listening, trying to understand where other people are coming from.
To understand the whole person we need to ask questions beyond the purely professional ones. What motivates and drives other people, what are their fears and insecurities? When we do this we can better understand what is behind the behavior they are demonstrating. Deep listening is key. We were given two ears and one mouth for a reason: we need to listen twice as much as we talk.
Interview conducted by Anna Krebs
Enabling ripples of positive change - Catalyst for SDG 5, facilitator and change-agent