What does ‘Break the Bias’ mean to you, and what do you hope this campaign will achieve?

In order to break the bias, you must first acknowledge its existence and then take a stand against it. In times past it was unthinkable for a woman to be a doctor, lawyer or any other vocation that is beyond household duties. Elizabeth Blackwell shattered that long-held belief when she graduated as a doctor from the Geneva medical college on the 23^rd of January, 1849. She broke the bias, therefore paving the way for many to follow.

Today, we stand on a foundation that these brave and courageous women started; like them we need to leave this world better than we found it. Biases are hard to break but not impossible to break. The sheer force of the human will, coupled with education and determination will create for us a world where gender equality will be the order of the day.  My motto is, "if it is worth having it is worth fighting for".

I hope this campaign will bring an awareness that biases do exist in our world, and that it is NOT acceptable. This is not the time to be silent, silence is complicit, in order for change to take place, there must be an agitation for change.

What will I do to personally break the bias?

Biases are learnt behaviours, therefore I will encourage parents to teach their children by life and example to be accepting of others, and to treat others how they themselves would like to be treated. Young men need to know that housework is not a woman’s domain, and daughters must know that men are not a pocket book. I will also encourage young women to pursue education at all cost, never allow society to determine their value, never conform to anyone’s way of thinking and demand a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work irrespective of gender.

If we continue to campaign against bias in all its form, we will leave this world better for the next generation. Albert Einstein said - “The problems we face cannot be resolved at the same level of thinking as that which gave rise to them.”

#IWD2022 #BreakTheBias