#gender-discrimination

#gender-discrimination

Have you ever doubted your knowledge or expertise? Noticed, if you're a woman, that you receive less recognition than your male colleagues do, that your ideas were unheard in a discussion until they were echoed by a man - who then received credit for them? Have you observed a gendered division of labour in your workplace; a pay gap; gender, racial or class prejudices? Have you felt pressured to choose between being a wife, a mother and a scientist? Most women in science have.

When Dr Kudzai Kanyepi qualified as Zimbabwe's first female cardiothoracic surgeon four years ago, she was filled with pride and anticipation after succeeding in an area long dominated by men. She was only the 12th woman in Africa to qualify in the field four more have joined her since. Even now, with 100 operations under her belt, the reality of working in a role in which she confronts misogyny and discrimination daily has not dented Kanyepi's love of the surgical theatre.

A Muslim charity run that stopped women and girls over 12 from taking part is reviewing its policies after a backlash. Organised by the East London Mosque and the London Muslim Centre, it was only open to men, boys of all ages and girls under 12. While single-sex charity runs can be legally permissible, she said organisers could have taken practical steps such as different starting times or separate groups to accommodate women and girls without compromising religious beliefs.

My husband is a rising executive for an international company. He does a lot of interviews for new hires. The other day he said to me that he was planning to have lunch at Hooters with a potential employee. When I voiced my concern about his choice of restaurant, he patronizingly said he met his boss at a Hooters. I doubt that, but as he was dressing to go, I reiterated my concern. He left for work without even his usual kiss goodbye.

Growing up in Rawalpindi, a city adjacent to Pakistan's capital Islamabad, Mahnoor Omer remembers the shame and anxiety she felt in school when she had periods. Going to the toilet with a sanitary pad was an act of stealth, like trying to cover up a crime. I used to hide my pad up my sleeve like I was taking narcotics to the bathroom, says Omer, who comes from a middle-class family her father a businessman and her mother a homemaker.

Almost all of us young people at the time mobilized, and most ended up in the war. It was that collective energy – you knew you had no other choice; everyone had to make their contribution in their own way.

"It's infuriating that, in 2025, men in leadership still seem to believe that women cannot be effective executives if they have a baby at home."

The misuse of non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements in the music industry to silence victims of harassment and abuse is a major concern.

It exposes them to a larger audience and more followers. But it actually has the opposite effect. It verifies, essentially, the same gender discrimination we see online and in society.