Gosia Rdest (POL) Marta Garcia (ESP) Naomi Schiff (RWA) Caitlin Wood (AUS)
Women Leading the Way Towards Equality
The past few years have seen more and more women speaking up about gender inequality. There have been marches, speeches, and rallies, happening across the globe, and their message is clear: women must attain equality in a world once dominated by men.
This outcry has sparked much research into how to level the playing field, and how to encourage, for example, more women into male-dominated industries powered by science, technology, engineering and mathematical disciplines.
One of the main strategies is to empower girls at a young age by giving them strong and well-rounded female role models to look up to. Seeing is believing, and research shows that girls become more empowered when they see role models who embody their aspirations.
Female role models such as Emma Watson, who seems to “have it all” as an actress, university student, charity worker, and activist for women’s rights, have inspired women from around the globe to pursue their dreams and stand up for what they believe in.
It’s not just actresses who are inspiring young girls to pursue their dreams, but also scientists such as Dr. Jane Goodall who made leaps and bounds in the field of primatology, or athletes such as Nicola Adams who was the first openly LGBTQ+ person to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing.
Having female role models helps to eliminate negative stereotypes and gender biases. Women around the world have grown up thinking that if they choose to participate in male-majority industries, such as construction, or becoming a doctor, or competing in motorsports, they will be viewed as masculine, so they simply don’t do those things. The more female empowerment they witness from watching women of all kinds succeed helps to reverse the stereotypes, and expands what is possible in the eyes of young girls.
Companies such as W Series set the paradigm towards inclusion and equality. Founded by Catherine Bond Muir in 2018, W series is a free-to-enter championship that provides equal opportunities for women while eliminating the financial barriers, due to which women could not progress to the upper tiers of motorsport.
The vision of W series is since equality is gained through equal opportunities “if you can see it, you can be it.” Currently, the W Series team is building the world’s most popular and inclusive female sporting series that inspires and empowers females to be a part of motorsport on equal terms with men. In the process, they hope to create a platform to accelerate gender equality globally.
The more high-profile female role models they can create, the more they will be able to inspire young girls to start on the track to motorsports by experiencing go-karting at an early age. The UN has made a commitment to gender equality by the year 2030, and companies such as W Series, and role models like Watson, Goodall, and Adams, are helping us get there.
Catherine’s vision for equality and inclusion in the motor sports is promoted by Sean Wadsworth, who after an earn-out exit in 2016, helped found the all-woman racing championship, W-Series. As Chair of the organisation, Sean exemplifies how men can support women in the battle against gender inequality.
In order to reach parity between the genders, both men and women need to collaborate and find solutions that are solving this major issue. The more men are involved in projects which are female-focused, the greater is their potential to raise awareness amongst their peers concerning the struggles women face and the importance of reducing gender inequality.
E2E is a proud and strong advocate for gender equality. If you’re a female entrepreneur get in touch with E2E today so we can discuss options to help scale up your company.
If you would like to learn more about W Series, please join E2E’s virtual event with Rothschild on October 6th at 9am, where Sean Wadsworth will be speaking. Head to our website (click on our services and then events) for more information.
