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DID YOU KNOW

That sexism is not just relevant in the job but actually an ideology that is prevalent in all spheres of life?

Media plays a very important role in reproducing the same stereotypes about men and women in sometimes very problematic ways. One typical example is the “abduction as romance” narrative in which the abduction and mistreatment of women is presented as inevitable and somewhat legitimate in many Hollywood movies.

To learn more about this media trope, check out this video:

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DID YOU KNOW

There is a difference between equality and equity?

Equality means: everyone has the same rights. Equity means: everyone gets what they need to actually make use of these rights and balance out existing inequalities. For example, women and men might have the same legal right to work, i.e. equality is given. But, in reality, studies show that men are more likely to be hired, even if female competitors have the same or better qualifications. Addressing this issue with specific measures to assure that in the end, there are not just male but also female hires would be a measure toward equity.

DID YOU KNOW

Reproductive work refers to the kind of work that is often, but not limited to domestic work or other caring work. This work is most often done by women and is usually performed without pay or the expectation of pay. In contrast to gainful employment (also called productive work), reproductive work is not calculated as part of the gross domestic product. Although productive labour depends on the reproductive work to maintain social and family structures, it is mostly not monetarily compensated but rather taken for granted, causing an extra burden for women.

DID YOU KNOW

Disabilities can be physical or mental. Physical disabilities may include, for example, blindness and low vision, deafness or hearing impairments, issues with walking or moving parts of the body, but also chronic illnesses such as asthma or HIV. Mental disabilities may cover a wide variety of conditions, including so-called intellectual disabilities, and can also include things such as PTSD, depression or anxiety if they’re so severe that the person feels significantly impaired in their daily life. Disabilities are complex and can range from visible to invisible and from easily manageable to severely impacting someone’s life.

DID YOU KNOW

Let us look at an example that highlights the biassed way most of us think. Think about designing an office space in an accessible way. Many would think of ways to install wheelchair ramps or assure that someone with a visual impairment can find guidance through physical markers on the floor. However, some would argue that we should instead think of ways in which stairs can be overcome completely, for example with technology. Or, thinking of visual impairment, considering visual impairment in the space design. Changing the perspective would entail that we design the work-place in an accessible way to begin with. This logic that most of us go by fails to recognise the potential of rethinking many of the structures around us that are “normal” and working for able-bodied people. We are not seeing the hurdles caused by these structures and thus fail to adopt a holistic approach to building inclusive working cultures. Now, you are not an architect. So, what can be derived from this example? To get to a truly inclusive mind-set, we need to start rethinking places to the person (and not the other way around). In this process, it is important to take seriously the expertise of people with disabilities as consultants to learn from their experiences. This is relevant for both, physical as well as mental disabilities. And in that aspect, it is important to keep re-evaluating our work structures and keep a feedback loop open between employees with disabilities and their colleagues and managers, “to ask individuals for feedback on inclusiveness to know their opinion on what can be done better”, as one employee puts it. Another employee from the DSAA network puts it more precisely: “More effort could be put into the professional development of individuals with disabilities. I feel after hiring, the support provided to individuals with disabilities is somewhat lacking. There is so much focus on being inclusive during recruitment that what happens after recruitment is sketchy. What’s the point of hiring individuals with unique challenges if there are no extensive plans to get them involved in what happens in the actual work environment?”

EGYPT

Côte D’ivoire

Ghana

RWanda

morocco

senegal

Did you know?
The time zone of Africa is the same or very similar to the CET / European time.

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