Gadsby-Dolly calls on women to be 'unapologetic' in drive for success

Minister of Education Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly called on women to be “unapologetic” as they continue to strive for success, during the Amcham Women’s Leadership Conference held virtually on Friday.

Gadsby-Dolly said from a young child she had to challenge the status quo. She said society has often placed expectations on women to be seen and not heard, not be too loud or dirty.

“They expect us to act like a lady – whatever that means. We are taught from birth to conform to these rules, to conform and behave as though we are ‘women,’ and without those restrictions we seem to not be considered as such.

“I was an avid tree-climber in my time, which caused my parents a lot of distress, but I loved it, so I was automatically a 'tomboy.'”

She said when she attended St Augustine Girls' High School she had to challenge the label of being “disadvantaged,” as a student who did not have all her books and had to wear one overall from forms one to five.

“That was an experience of extreme challenge, and it had a lot to do with how I developed the strength that I have. I had to challenge that expectation that because I did not have everything that everyone else did, you would not do as well as everyone else. I decided that I would not be classed as disadvantaged and I would not allow that to determine how far I went.

“We as women have to determine our own brand of success and not conform to anyone else’s brand. We must always remember to support each other.”

Like Gadsby-Dolly, US Major General Leslie Purser was also a tomboy who questioned the status quo.

“I could remember as a child wondering why I couldn’t be on the little league team like my five brothers or why I couldn’t be an altar girl at church.

“My mom said I could choose between three occupations: a nun, a teacher or a nurse. My father said girls can do anything boys can do. You gotta go for the gusto. He taught me the words to the song Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better, and I sang that song often.”

She said an estimated 300,000 women served in Afghanistan and female service members earned more than 10,000 combat action badges.

Purser gave seven tips for women to lead change in their society, which included being confident and never giving up, seeking and being a good mentor, and characterising oneself and female subordinates as leaders and risk-takers.

“Don’t be told what to do. Take the initiative and do what is right before being told.

“An all-business approach is not always the best – you have to be able to laugh at yourself.

“If you are knocked down, get back up. Don’t wait. Immediately get back up and try again,” Purser said.

Despite the strides women have made in society, there are still several challenges which holds back the progress of women. One of those challenges is security.

During a panel discussion Lt Col Josette Mc Lean advised women to empower themselves by learning to defend themselves from attackers.

“I was a young officer. I sought to empower myself to applying to study martial arts. I studied under Major Boodram. One of the things I realised was that even though women in the national security framework are considered highly skilled, there is still a need to ensure that you are not only able to protect yourself but know survival tactics.”

She said she also did a lot of work with civilian women, teaching them self-defence and survival tactics.

“When you empower women and you teach them to defend themselves, it not only builds their confidence, but they become better individuals.”

Head of the Anti-Terror Unit at the Ministry of Legal Affairs Vyanna Sirju Sharma said new amendments to the bail bill could keep hardened criminals off the streets, as it is being proposed that people charged for crimes like grievous sexual assault, kidnapping and grievous bodily harm be denied bail for 120 days.

“In turn, women will feel safety when engaging in society and potential criminals would be deterred from committing sexual offences.”