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When Gloria Somolekae lived in Kenya during her early 30s, women weren’t able to own residential property. The law assumed women would have husbands to house them.

Later, as she began her career as an activist, she formed a task force to push against similar discriminatory laws in Botswana. Somolekae said through her years of activism, one thing she can be sure of is that all women in all societies — sometimes through legitimate laws or social structures — have a shared experience of subjugation.

“Women suffer different forms of discrimination and disadvantage around the world,” Somolekae said. “It’s just a matter of degree and differences yet … many societies have got embedded biases against women.”

Somolekae, who received her Ph.D. in public administration from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in 1994, delivered the keynote speech for SU’s celebration of International Women’s Day on Wednesday in Goldstein Auditorium. The talk, entitled “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality: Challenges and Prospects,” centered on how girls and women can feel empowered in the digital age.

After her time at SU, Botswana’s president appointed Somolekae as the country’s first woman deputy minister of finance and economic development, and later co-founded and directed the Democracy Project in Botswana to promote public education on democracy and monitor elections. Somolekae also delivered a report on Botswana’s rural development, which led to policy overhaul in its development programs.

In her focus on technology access and development for women, Somolekae pointed to a United Nations report released in December – the same month the theme for SU’s event was announced – which established that bringing isolated women into technological fields resulted in greater potential for innovations that meet women’s needs and promote gender equality. She pointed to the U.N.’s listed 2015 Sustainable Development Goal to achieve gender equality and empower all women.

“The agenda is all about leaving no one behind,” Somolekae said.

In 2018, the U.N. reviewed its development goals and identified forms of gender discrimination which continue across the globe. One example is women’s responsibility to collect water in rural regions of South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, which leaves them with less time to engage with other activities.

Somolekae said that gender discrimination is still an issue that primarily needs to be handled in African countries. A 2020 study from the Brookings Institute revealed that most women in African countries working in agriculture are often unpaid and overworked compared to their male counterparts.

If women are left behind in pay, Somolekae said they’ll always be behind. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated that reality, she said, explaining that women had to stop farming to comply with social distancing protocols and assumed responsibility to help their children adapt to online learning.

Somolekae emphasized the range of ways in which women end up taking on burdens and fulfilling roles that function as effective discrimination.

“Some people think that where the law says we are equal, we have all rights, but they fail to acknowledge and recognize the fact that some people will still find it hard to access the law and to enjoy this benefit because of their sex,” Somolekae said.

Somolekae has sat on boards filled mostly with men, and she said it’s been difficult for her to assert her own opinion and even express her intelligence. Somolekae said she would go to the bathroom after being ignored to avoid getting emotional around the men in the room.

“In the political and the private sector, even in academics, you always have to fight for that space to be seen and to be heard,” Somolekae said.

Somolekae identified two lessons for attendees: for people to confront their own personal bias, and in the future, for men and women to learn to work together. She said a past mistake in the women’s rights movement has been alienating male colleagues who could have helped advance the movement.

Moving forward, Somolekae said she remains optimistic about improving the way women are treated and empowered.

“We must keep working hard,” she said. “We must keep holding each other’s hands. We must keep collaborating. We must keep integrating and sharing.”

Published on March 9, 2023 at 12:00 am