Channeling a Voice for Women

IMF Blog, April 7, 2017

Source details

Publication type: IMFBlog
Date: April 7, 2017
Subject: Podcast interview with Muna AbuSulayman, a Saudi Arabian media personality and host of Kalam Nawaem ("soft talk"), the longest running and most popular social issues show in the Middle East.
Focus: Pushing social boundaries, including on topics such as gender equality.

Utopian aspiration:
- "A utopian day would be for a woman to be able to realize her full potential in the way that she wants it within her capabilities. And I think that’s a human rights issue versus an economic issue."
Entrenched views on women's economic role:
- "I think that people believe if a woman comes in, she’s taking a job away from a man."
- "Also, I don’t think they believe inclusiveness actually makes better decisions."
Importance of changing mentality and narrative:
- AbuSulayman: "This is something that we have to work on to make sure people understand that when women participate in decision-making the outcome will be better."
Reframing investment in women's development:
- AbuSulayman recounts: "I remember somebody telling me that you train and you spend a lot of money on development for a professional woman, and then she gets married, has a baby, and then leaves. And I respond that men also leave because they get a better offer! When you’re training somebody, you should see it as an investment in the future of the country and you should stop thinking of it only as an expense that is lost."

Reframe skill development for women as a national investment rather than a private loss.
Promote narratives that emphasize the decision-making benefits of inclusive participation.
Address beliefs that women "take jobs away" through public messaging and evidence of positive outcomes from female participation in the workforce.
Prioritize changing social norms and mentalities alongside formal economic policies to improve gender equality.

Channeling a Voice for Women — IMFBlog, April 7, 2017