Dolapo Alabi, a gender specialist, has advised women to build self-confidence and forge a common front, to enable them achieve success in their undertakings.

Alabi, who gave the advice in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday, added that women needed to network for them to have efficient career booster to engender job opportunities.

She said: “Networking is highly important for any leader, but even more so for women. It allows people to share experiences and knowledge and even support each other.

“By doing this, the gender division in the labour market might in a long-term open more doors for women to advance to management level and diversify leadership in male-dominated sectors.’’

According to her, it is also to open doors for the tapping of the potential of women for the benefit of the present and future generations.

She, however, urged women to correct instances where they were being treated as “little interest group.”

“We need to be given equal opportunity and rights to explore God’s purpose.

“Women and men should have equal possibilities to get ahead in their careers and rise to higher positions, especially when it is not a question of incompetence anymore.”

Ms Peggy Dulany, also a gender specialist, underscored the need for women to develop trust for one another.

The specialist said that with trust, people would be able to listen to the point of view of others so as to empathise with them.

“It is, in general, fear that prevents us from trusting each other; it could be fear that is based on previous experience or the warnings of fearful caretakers.

“Trusting ourselves is even more important for us to be able to speak and act authentically; thereby becoming more likely to gain the trust of others,’’ she said.

Dulany said that people wanted those with whom they could frankly relate to.

“Having real conversations with people may seem simple, but it involves a lot of courage and risk.’’

She stressed that trust was the social glue which held families, communities, organisations and societies together, saying that without trust, every agreement would be futile.

Ms Grace Johnson, Founder Graceland Foundation, an NGO, told NAN that “Fear is the main reason why women do not work together with others; they need trust to work together to achieve common aims and objectives.

“In efforts to involve the youth or male counterpart in everything we do, there must be somebody they can trust and look up to; that is the key quality of a leader which we really need to work on as women.

“Humanity gains a lot from having enough trust in ourselves and our capacities too; we ought to give up our masks and defences with which we bolster our egos.” (NAN)

– Jan. 8, 2019 @ 12:05 GMT |