Gender inequality is global issue

Tosin Durotoye is a woman of many parts. She is a techie, social impact leader, global speaker and a Forbes-featured equity and diversity advocate. Tosin is currently an innovation and sustainability strategist at Delta Air Lines – the second largest revenue generating airline in the world and principal consultant at Conselia Advisory Practice – a boutique management consulting firm. She is also the founder of The Bloom Africa – an NGO serving ambitious African women and girls. Tosin has over 18 years of public and private sector experience in technology innovation, project and programme management and strategic partnerships. She is a Google for Startups Accelerator mentor and a Techstars mentor. She serves on the board for USA for UNFPA – the United Nation’s sexual and reproductive health agency and Slum2School – a development organisation transforming society by empowering underserved children in slums and remote communities.

Tosin is also an Atlantic Dialogues Emerging Leader, Leading Ladies Africa’s ‘Nigeria’s 100 Most Inspiring Women, Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) 100 Under 40 (2020) and a Charter Member for the West Africa Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta – a 108-year old public service organisation. Tosin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Wake Forest University and a Masters of Urban Planning degree from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service. In this interview with KEHINDE OLATUNJI, she speaks on her passion for women and the girl child.

Looking at your background and places you’ve worked so far, what really influenced your choice of career?
I tell the girls I mentor that your career should be an exploration of your curiosities and anchored in your purpose. For me, all of the work I’ve done in the past 19 years has been anchored in my purpose, which is social impact. I’ve consistently tried to lead with curiosity as I’ve worked within different industries spanning across NGOs, private companies, government agencies and startups. Through it all, I’ve remained focused on one question: “How can I help make the world a better place?” I currently work in the aviation industry, which is a new and exciting exploration for me and even there, my work focuses on sustainability practices and how the enterprise can be a better steward of the environment.

It is often said irrespective of one’s background, you could still achieve a lot, how has your background contributed to your success?
I grew up in Ile-Ife on the campus of OAU. My dad – Dr. Yomi Durotoye, was a professor until he retired a few years ago. My mother – Mrs. Adeola Durotoye – also worked as a school administrator for many years. Thanks to my parents, I grew up understanding the value of education and that’s what I focused on. Growing up on OAU’s campus was a dream as my school was right there on campus in an idyllic setting. I had access to a library and so many books. I had the lesson teacher and the school clubs. When we moved to the U.S., my dedication to my education remained and I went on to study at Wake Forest University where I received a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service where I received my master’s in City Planning with a focus on economic and community development. My education instilled in me the importance of looking at the world through the lens of global impact and that’s how I move through the world till today.

It is said that women are not given enough space in politics, governance, business and other key areas of human endeavour, do you agree with this?
Absolutely. According to UN Women, as of September 2023 – there are just 26 countries where women serve as heads of state and/or government. That accounts for just 13 per cent of countries. For Fortune 500 Companies, women make up just 15 per cent of CEOs. While these numbers show an increase over time – it also points at how far we still have to go. The World Economic Forum estimates that at this current rate, it’ll take us over 130 years to close the global gender gap. This fact is both discouraging and motivating and keeps me up at night.

What inspired The Bloom Africa?
The Bloom Africa was inspired by the question I carry with me everywhere I go: “how can I help make the world a better place?” When I moved to Nigeria in 2016 – I had experiences as a woman that shocked me, and I quickly noticed inequities that I couldn’t ignore. From major issues such as child marriage to microaggressions like how we are addressed at work and in public – I realised women didn’t have an easy journey in Nigeria. For me, I decided that rather than complaining about it; I could do my part.

That’s how The Bloom Africa – a platform for the development and support of ambitious African women and girls was founded. Since our founding, I’ve worked – often as a one-woman team alongside partners – to gather women and girls in settings where they can speak freely and honestly ask for and receive help and be supported on their life journeys as they grow. We’ve impacted women and girls not just in Nigeria but in Zimbabwe, Kenya and South Africa. Unfortunately, gender inequality is not unique to Nigeria – it’s a global issue. I continue to work to explore ways to contribute my efforts, wherever I go and The Bloom Africa will always be the platform I leverage.

The percentage of women in technology is relatively low especially in Nigeria, what can be done to bridge the gap?
The good news is that the percentage of Nigerian women working in tech has grown over the years as more women take advantage of training opportunities and pivot into the industry. However, despite this, we know women still have some ways to go in this overwhelmingly male dominated space. For example, we know that women-led startups raised just 1.9 per cent of all venture capital funds in 2022. We know women of colour raise even less than this at about 0.5 per cent. That’s abysmal. We must continue to stay on the issue by tirelessly highlighting the inequality, amplifying those who are working to make a difference such as funds and programmes focused on female founders and pushing for the establishment of more of such funds and programs. It’s an uphill battle but there’s simply no option to quit.

How do you balance work with home and every other thing you are involved in without getting depleted?
2020 was a challenging year for me because like the rest of the world, I was forced to slow down during the pandemic. It was during this time that I realised how deeply exhausted I was. It seemed I’d been firing on all cylinders, and it finally caught up with me and I crashed. I’ve since spent the last three years recalibrating and forming a new relationship with my goals and work. For one, I’ve had to learn how to be compassionate with myself. This means, rather than chastising myself for not getting back up to the speed I was used to – I’ve let my body set the pace. If I’m tired, I rest. If I’m uninspired, I wait for it to come. If I’m unmotivated, I focus on taking care of myself even more. I’m kind to myself in ways I never was before. This is my new normal and it’s taking some getting used to but I’m grateful for where I am in my journey.

Advise to women aspiring to achieve great things.
One word: Rest. It’s so easy for ambitious women to want to do it all and be everything to everybody but it’s just not sustainable. During my ‘forced retreat’, as I call it – I meditated often on the concept of “resting the soil”. There are years when farmers allow the soil to rest. This is because, over time, soil can lose its nutrients from overplanting. During the period of rest – which can last one year or more – the soil is allowed to replenish its nutrients so it can once again produce an abundance of crops. I believe the same is true for us as humans. We can’t keep producing without resting for a prolonged period. Without rest, we might think we’re okay but the truth is we’ll exert the same or more energy but find ourselves producing less and less. My advice is this: take the time to lie fallow and don’t feel guilty about it. The time will come when you’ll rise and be filled with more creativity, motivation, and ideas but first, you must stop to rest.

As you climb the ladder of success what is your advice to companies who think less of women?
A company that thinks less of women is a company that doesn’t care about its success and frankly should not be a company any woman should want to work for. Studies have repeatedly shown that companies with more women on their boards outperform those without. We also know that companies with more gender diversity are more profitable than companies that are not. To not value women in the workplace means you’re prepared to lose money and be average at best and fail at worst and that’s unfortunate.

What role do you think the government can play in this?
I often think of Rwanda when I consider the impact government can make in closing the gender gap. In 2003, Rwanda passed a new constitution that committed to “equality between men and women” and mandated that women should hold at least 30 per cent of parliamentary seats. Currently, over 60 per cent of the Rwandan Parliament is made up of women – the highest percentage in the world. Similarly, in 2018, the state of California in the U.S. passed a law that required publicly listed corporations headquartered in California to have at least one female director by December 31, 2019 and by December 31, 2021: at least, two female directors if the number of directors is five; and at least three female directors if the number of directors is six or more. The law was recently challenged on its constitutionality but at the end of the day – the point here is the government recognised the importance for gender equity in the workplace and stepped in. I’m inspired by these two examples and my hope is that one day, our government will also recognise the importance of protecting and elevating women in society and seek to enact laws to advance women.