For 35 years, the Founder and Global Chairperson of ALL Ladies League (ALL) and Women Economic Forum (WEF) Harbeen Arora watched her father drive her mother to and from work every single day. It was a routine that she witnessed in her childhood, she says.
“I think the most important thing is that I always thought a woman is a working woman because my mom was a working woman. The other side did not exist to me,” she shared.
“For a very long time, I did not understand gender discrimination because my brother and I were brought up with equality. I realized the problems later on. If it doesn’t happen to me, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t happen to others,” Arora added.
Fast-forward to today, Arora is breaking boundaries and fighting a battle alongside women across the globe for the sake of supporting and empowering females in expanding their business opportunities and personal lives.
Back in 2018, Arora was honored and awarded at the World Youth Forum (WYF) by H.E. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. As she was receiving her award, she promised the president that she would bring WEF to Egypt too.
It is safe to say that this promise has been fulfilled. The WEF, that will take place in Cairo, Egypt from March 4 to 9 is set to inspire women and make them push through the society as a way to stand on two feet and run their lives on their own terms.
Partnering with The Worx, an event management consultancy, the WEF will bring over 100 discussions to the table alongside 300 speakers who all want to empower women.
Nemaat Khalil, the Worx Managing Partner told 925Egypt that this is a great opportunity for Egyptian and Middle Eastern women. “We were more than pleased to bring it to Egypt and become their local partner,” Khalil said.
But what does empowering women even mean?
Economic independence is necessary for women to take their own life decisions
“Empowerment for me, is reclaiming the power within and surrounding myself with nurturing places,” said Arora. A ‘nurturing’ place is one that can be created from the people you see everyday, the places you visit and the conversations you often have.
“This is why parenting, education and enabling ecosystems like ours [WEF] is important. It stimulates the seed to grow,” she added.
In recent years, society has witnessed a rise of women in upper management positions across the world. And although there is still a long way to go, Arora expressed that it is about time for women to enter the ‘economy, society and every part of the world’ in the name of progress and development.
“For that, we need empowered women and there are no empowered women without economic empowerment accompanying her. Financial independence is at the heart of being able to take your own decisions as a leader. If I don’t have money and I have to ask someone for money all the time, I won’t be able to do everything I want to,” asserted Arora.
This is a huge part of what WEF aims to do by connecting and including a million women around the world. As Arora puts it, when women work together, they tap into each other’s energy and this is how, “we move mountains together”.
But moving mountains is no easy task. Arora and Khalil see that even in the ideal world and in an ideal scenario where men and women are suddenly treated as equals, this is not enough for females to be empowered.
“Women in the workforce all over the world are challenged because there are mental hurdles. It is not because she is ‘weak’ or because ‘she can’t do it’. It’s none of that. It’s because of the mental challenges she has and people’s perceptions,” Khalil explained.
Often interviewees in companies are plagued with the mindset of, ‘oh, she is a woman. She will get married, have kids and then be unavailable.’
“It is only harder for a woman to start a business because she suffers from lack of self-belief. When you are growing up, the discrimination starts in things like asking your daughter what time she’s coming back and not asking your son,” elaborated Arora.
WEF On Creating Networks
Women are capable of founding and running their own businesses
For things to change, networks are necessary and this is what Arora is trying to build. Alongside networks, government policy and legislation is also critical in the turning point. “I want to congratulate Egypt on the kind of policies you are undertaking and ‘walking the talk’ and not just saying that ‘we need to empower’…Many advanced countries have not been able to do that,” said Arora.
But as women, we cannot only look at bigger cities and neglect informal communities with underprivileged women that are often oppressed and have no voice to represent them. Arora explained that because of digital connectivity, rural communities may not be as connected as other communities.
“We have to make an effort to reach out. When we say that we are ‘150,000 women connected’ and we have a mission to reach a million, this is exactly what we are doing to ensure at least a million women are not left alone.”
When it comes to opening a discourse on the topic, WEF plays a huge role in ‘walking the talk’. Arora and Khalil explained that the conference will look into stories of courage and resilience with a spirit of validation and celebration of every woman.
Essentially, the conference is divided into two main topics: the point of view on Egypt exclusively and the point of view on women entrepreneurs. The themes of discussion will range from investment projects and new education models all the way to how to make a business plan and how to pitch to investors. All of this is in light of helping women find passion and purpose.
Of course because the event takes place in Egypt, tackling Egypt’s issues are important. Khalil said that the forum would also address Egypt’s 2030 vision when it comes to financial inclusion and the different legislations that have been taking place. “We have so many female ministers really making changes. They are giving results,” said Khalil.
“We are aiming for people to leave the event stronger. We want them to feel positive energy that they will share with other women,” emphasized Khalil.
