From tackling gender-based violence to supporting migrant domestic workers, meet seven young leaders who are protecting women and propelling them to success
Research published in the Harvard Business Review in 2019 found that while male and female MBA graduates benefit from having a network of well-connected peers to land leadership positions, women also had to have an inner circle of close female contacts to reach the highest levels of pay and executive positions with the most authority.
Cultural and political obstacles such as gender stereotypes and unconscious bias that women face and men don’t were the key reasons researchers highlighted as stymying their chances to advance. A solution, the study suggests, is for women to build close connections with other women, who can provide them with critical private information that can help them with their job search, interviewing and negotiations.
Read more: Why educating girls is not just about gender equality
Beyond this, many women are also navigating other uneven playing fields and challenges, such as unequal access to education and employment, or dealing with harassment, violence and traditional mindsets of gender roles at home.
As author Sebastian Junger writes in his book, Tribe, “It takes a village to thrive and be great. We cannot do life alone; it wasn't meant to be lived that way.” Here are seven women from across Asia, who are helping other women to protect their rights, provide for themselves and their families, and rise to the top.
Net Supatravanij
Co-founder, Ila
Social startup Ila, co-founded by Net Supatravanij, tackles gender-based violence with a two-pronged approach. It helps companies including Unilever, Adidas and Google audit their equity, diversity and inclusion policies, and runs the business-to-business app Ally, which turns venues in London, Bangkok and Berlin into safe spaces, training staff to spot and stop harassment. Net is a recipient of the UN Women Youth Leadership Award for Thailand.
