Our societies are still delineated by gender stereotypes that determine societal responsibilities, roles and behaviours. In this context, gender is still an important social bias and women who aspire to have a career are still facing the question of balance between work and personal life. However, increasing female participation and representation in the leading positions in various fields is both fair and necessary for securing social, economic and environmental sustainability.

This event aims to investigate the extent to which gender interferes in women’s career development and brings together women from both shores of the Mediterranean to discuss their experience from the path to success. How did they manage to overcome gender obstacle and succeed in their careers? Did they face social and economic restraints? How it affects their closest relatives, their families? What advice could they give to inspire substantial change?

Without neglecting the negative aspects of the process, the organizers would like to underpin the positive experience on which the change should be built on.

Speakers:

Rowaida Al Maaitah - Professor of Public Health at Jordan University of Science and Technology and among others former Minister of Science for Government Performance, Minister of Social Development, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Jordan.

Darine Hotait - writer and film director focusing on the politics of identity, Arab & African diaspora, science fiction, and Afrofuturism and recipient of the New York Council on the Arts Artist Award, the New York Foundation for the Arts IAP Fellowship, the AFAC Cinema Grant, and a Goethe Award nomination.

Wissem Hachicha - director of Wissem Institute in Tunisia and teacher of Arabic language for foreigners over 20 years. Her work has focused on teaching Modern Standard Arabic and Tunisian Arabic of young students, directors, French police, and African Development employees.

Gabriela Budínová - the first Czech woman ever to finish the Dakar Rally on a motorcycle. She started working as an interpreter and an English and French teacher. After her first experience with an amateur rally, she found her passion and started dreaming about doing the Dakar.

Moderators: 

Nikola Strachová - Head of National Network of Anna Lindh Foundation and a PhD candidate in International Relations and Diplomacy focuses on the subnational units’ diplomacy, especially cities and NGOs and their role in global governance. Elisa Marra - Research Assistant at the Prague Institute of International Relations focusing on the research, analysis and forecast of political, operational and security developments in the Middle East and North Africa.

This event is organized by the Czech network of the Anna Lindh Foundation, the Institute of International Relations Prague and the Czech Council on Foiregn Relations.