I am told that I almost didn’t get my job because I am a woman. I’m not sure if it is true, but the idea that this is even possible guts me when I think about it. No one should have to face the possibility of not doing what they love simply because they were born a certain colour, creed, or sex. We would be up in arms if we knew of someone who couldn’t get a job because his ear wasn’t shaped in a way that suited his potential employers. It is as arbitrary as that.
Women cannot be the only ones on this journey towards equality because equality is a matter between people. It is a question of otherness and alterity, of dialogue, of correspondence, and of cooperation. If men do not come on-board, then the imbalance will, necessarily, always persist.
I’ve been blessed to have men in my life who, whether they realise it or not, stand for #heforshe. They’ve encouraged and enabled me to transcend gender biases even when I had not realised that I was being enchained by them. I wish the same for more women in this world.