MONROVIA – As women, the world over, struggle daily to play active roles in states development drives, former Managing Director of the National Port Authority, Madam Matilda Wokie Parker, has urged women to exhibit more confidence in their career journey and ignore the stereotypical notion that women cannot perform certain functions.
“Sit at the table”, Madam Parker urged, “If there is no seat at the table, or one is not available, then, we must create our own table” and observed most women shy away from moving forward. “This is wrong. Sit at the table, and call people out for improper behavior”, she pointed out.
She spoke as Guest Speaker on Friday during a ceremony organized by the Women’s Committee of the Liberia Labour Congress (LCC) in commemoration of International Women’s Day held at the J. B. McGill Labour Center. The LCC, established in 1951, has been the umbrella organization of all Liberian trade unions and private sector workers.
In spite of the current world population size of 52% women, Madam Parker, said very few women are making it to the top of any profession anywhere in the world.
“In 2018, there were 315 Heads of State and Governments and only 20 were women representing 6.3%. According to the International Parliamentary Union, of all the people in Parliaments in the world as of Jan 2019, only 23% were women. Research shows that women CEOs or those with corporate board jobs top at 12%. Researches also indicate Females have up to a 22% pay gap from their male counterparts”, she disclosed.
Mdm Parker, who oversaw the transformation of the National Port Authority from 2009 to 2015, noted that with these statistical gaps between men and women, many international studies have also proven that female-run divisions and departments over performed more than those headed by men.
“So my question to the world is, if it is known that women are so great and amazing, why is there a huge gender gap in female leaders and female compensation for the same job”, she wondered.
She admonished women to be courageous, but must not be intimidated adding, “Let us work at it together starting now. Let’s dream about gender equality and plan for a fairer world.