For the women, by the women

The discourse on women's issues, as advocated by women's rights organisations around the world, often ends up portraying women as victims of their circumstances. What has been missing from the conversation though is positive stories – of leadership, fruitful journeys, and the power of women. And that is exactly what Women in Leadership (WIL) has been doing for the last four years.

With the understanding that it is crucial for women to play an active role in the economy if Bangladesh is to reach its goal of becoming a middle income country by 2021, WIL's objective is to help women reach their full potential.

“I felt like empowerment through knowledge, education and financial independence is what's most important for women. And what better way to inspire women into professionalism than through professionals?” says Preema Nazia Andaleeb, Visual Artist, Preema's Atelier and President, WIL. 

Every year, WIL organises a Women Leadership Summit, in which local and international speakers discuss different aspects of creating the right professional ecosystem, fostering equal participation of both men and women in leading positions.

“We needed to create a platform where women will come and openly discuss the sector-specific issues, for example, maternity leave rules that they face in their workspace,” says Andaleeb.

Through this summit, the stories of positive journeys are shared by many women in leadership positions throughout the country. “These stories make women think about their rights and roles in society.” This year, some of the known speakers were political scientists; feminist leader and author of Bangladesh Rounaq Jahan; Indian columnist and novelist Shobhaa De; MP Waseka Ayesha Khan; prominent dance artiste Lubna Marium, and more.

The Inspiring Women Award aims to recognise aspiring and leading women in the corporate sector of Bangladesh, under different categories, and hence, identify role models for the women of today. It also gives acknowledgment to business organisations with the most female-friendly working conditions and policies.

The WIL Magazine is a quarterly publication dedicated to gender-related issues. This magazine also includes various stories of women, by women. “For example, a woman working at the HR department of a corporation can write about the different HR policies available for women in different office spaces. These are the kinds of information that I am adamant on sharing with all the women of the country, things they don't know, things we didn't know,” claims Andaleeb. “This magazine is one that I want distributed worldwide. I need people from other countries to pick up a WIL magazine and realise what Bangladeshi women really are – strong and driven.”

Apart from working professionals, WIL also gives due attention to the growing pool of young women who aspire to become future leaders. Leaders of Tomorrow is an engagement programme for female university students designed to empower them and boost their confidence before entering the professional world. Bangladesh Women Professional Network (BWPN) is designed to look at issues and challenges which female professionals face in their respective organisations or fields. From policy to work culture, many issues within an organisation make it difficult for female professionals to reach their potential. BWPN aims to work on these issues, particularly with the professionals and assist them in reaching senior leadership positions.

“There are so many inspiring stories. One such story is of a speaker, Nasreen Zamir. Nasreen Zamir has recently been sworn in as Luxembourg's first ever Honorary Consul in Dhaka. Now, many people did ask her the inevitable question of having a lot of high-profile connections to be able to acquire the job to which she firmly said, 'No. I was just brave enough to apply for the post.' This is the kind of courage I want all the attendees to walk out with,” adds Andaleeb.

WIL believes in the process of learning, understanding, and growing together. “It's a global problem – the issues that women face – and we must all be there for each other. Connecting these women is our ultimate goal. The only way us women can move forward is by holding each other's hands and lifting each other up.”