Why we should choose to challenge on International Women’s Day
We caught up with Dr Ann Limb CBE DL. Ann chairs the Scouts’ Board of Trustees, which shapes our key policies and rules. She’s the first woman to hold the role.
Ann’s experiences
I may no longer be a full-time senior or chief executive (which I was for many years) but in the non-executive roles I hold now, I still encounter some of the same challenges – shall we say – as I did when I was the lone, female chief executive of a college when I was 34, some 30 years ago.
There still remains, sadly, a lot of bias in the way appointing panels operate, in the way that organisations and committees are run, and in the way boards of charities are organised. I still experience an unnerving degree of patronising language and behaviour on a day-to-day basis both towards women and, in my case, towards gay women.
Not here at Scouts, I hasten to add. It’s got one of the strongest, values-led cultures I’ve known in all my years in the sector, with a real commitment to improving diversity and inclusion.
Calling out discrimination
The theme of International Women’s Day this year is ‘choose to challenge.’ Sadly, there are still huge issues of discrimination in the workplace, and that needs to be called out.
There’s still a need for women to have to fight to make their voices heard. This is despite all the important equality initiatives undertaken by organisations and despite the fact that things are changing – and have changed – for women and non-binary people.
I want to see more women in leadership positions – whether that’s as volunteers like me, or as young people who are considering their options for future careers. But it can be a lonely place to be. You’re uniquely accountable in a leadership role, which goes hand in hand with lots of pressures (and praise too!).
Creating better cultures
We need to create cultures of openness and transparency which reflect our values. At Scouts, we have a purpose we can get behind – to help more young people to gain key life skills; to speak up, step up and find their place in the world, regardless of their background. That’s a really good starting point. But, like so many other organisations, there’s still a way to go.
Scouts is the largest mixed youth organisation in the UK, and we encourage young people from all backgrounds to join in. It’s really important that we don’t shy away from issues that impact people with different genders in our society. (If you’re a volunteer leader in Scouts, you can find some helpful programme resources here on our website to start having these conversations with your young people.)
I’m very proud of the work we’re doing to welcome everyone into our movement. And, with the pandemic changing the lives of our young people, it’s more important than ever for us to foster a sense of self and a welcoming, positive and inclusive environment.
To celebrate International Women’s Day, we also caught up with Scout Ambassadors Ellie Simmonds and Saray Khumalo. You can read Ellie’s interview, and Saray’s interview.