Today, March 8, International Women’s Day is being celebrated across the world. The global event celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women – while also marking a call to action for accelerating gender balance.
As the world raises a collective voice to reduce gender inequality across all aspects of life and society, we, at Lagos Business School also look inwards at some of the policies and culture that drive our workplace and how they help women thrive.
As an organisation where the highest office is held by a woman, Lagos Business School (LBS) has over the years also placed qualified women who are making indelible marks in several industries across the country, from technology to entrepreneurship and education, in its most important positions. With women forming nearly half of its management board and holding positions as Academic Directors of some of its most important programmes, it is clear that not only does LBS place a premium on the value of women, it helps them reach their full career potential.
Beyond the numbers, LBS also weaves women empowerment ideals into the fabric of its culture ensuring that its women achieve their work goals and succeed in other aspects of their lives (as wives, mothers and caregivers) in equal parts.
Speaking on this, Dean, Prof Enase Okonedo mentioned that at LBS, “We challenge status quo and societal norms that say women cannot function in certain roles by ensuring that we continue to be an equal opportunities workplace.
“LBS is very mindful of women’s needs and helps them solve a key concern of minding and nurturing their children while at work with crèche services that take care of babies and toddlers for at least one year.”
Furthering the conversation, Faculty Director, Prof Olayinka David-West says, “Promoting a gender-balanced workplace – #balanceforbetter – requires we look for skills and capabilities and overall competence that are aligned with organisational goals and let performance speak for itself, and this is what we promote at LBS”.
Dr Ogechi Adeola – Academic Director Sales and Marketing Academy, and a panelist during the workshop organised for female staff of the Institution to further distill the theme for this year’s celebration, stated that “in the quest for a gender-balanced society, women need to remove self-limitations and rise above those placed by society, you can be anything you choose to be, set your goals and chart a course to achieving them.”
As we celebrate with the rest of the world, we restate our commitment to pulling down societal biases that hinder the growth and empowerment of women in the workplace and we call on all organisations to break the barriers and unlearn the culture that discriminates against women.
