Thank you so much ma’am! Ms. Aditi Arora
We discovered a lot during our meeting with Ms. Aditi Arora, who is the India Country Manager of Girl Up, a movement founded by the UN foundation. She is also featured in the Forbes India 30 under 30. She wants to address the issue of women’s underrepresentation in the STEM fields. Women are underrepresented in STEM fields for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the stereotypical society we live in. She claimed that 76% of women in the STEM fields think men know more about maths and science than they do, which is untrue in every way. Because they can’t handle official work and are then expected to handle household duties, women often struggle and give up.
Even though most Indians believe that men and women should share some household duties, many continue to uphold traditional, patriarchal values. Most men don’t participate in household chores. Women experience emotional labour as well. “As a mother, have you ever considered how much thought goes into preparing a meal? It can be challenging to prepare a meal that suits everyone’s tastes in a diverse family” We learned from Ms. Arora’s insightful statistics that “47% of women refused promotions because they were married and believed their children should come first,” and that “30% of women found that their career affected their household.” She is adamant that everyone, regardless of gender, should have access to everything. She also explained how safety goggles, PPE kits, and seatbelts are manufactured with complete disregard for women. When asked what superpower she would want, she replied that she would like to be able to travel through time and follow great, successful women like Sarojini Naidu, who was critical in the freedom struggle. We discovered the distinction between sex and gender.
Finally, she inspired us to succeed in the future, have confidence in who we are, and never doubt our abilities regardless of what other people think. “If you don’t fail, you’ll never be able to appreciate life’s highs.”