Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
>> ANGELA MERKEL IN GERMANY, MICHELLE BACHELET IN CHILE,
JUST A FEW OF THE WOMEN LEADERS WHO ARE BLAZING
TRAILS AROUND THE WORLD. IN A NEW LECTURE SERIES, THE
ALBUQUERQUE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION WILL FOCUS ON
WOMEN AS GLOBAL LEADERS, AND THAT SERIES STARTS THIS
SUNDAY, JANUARY 26th, AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO
CONTINUING EDUCATION CENTER. NMiF CORRESPONDENT FURHANA
AFRID TALKS ABOUT THE SERIES WITH MARINA OBOROTOVA, SHE
IS PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
AND PROMINENT FEMINIST AUTHOR MARTHA BURK, AND SHE
IS WITH THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF WOMEN'S ORGANIZATIONS,
WHO IS ALSO PART OF THE SPEAKER LINE-UP.
>> DR. MARINA OBOROTOVA, AND DR. MARTHA BURK, IT'S A
PLEASURE TO HAVE YOU BOTH WITH US.
MARINA, I'D LIKE TO START OFF WITH YOU.
YOU DEDICATED THIS ENTIRE LECTURE SERIES ON EXAMINING
THE ROLE OF WOMEN AS GLOBAL LEADERS.
TELL US WHY. >> WELL, YOU KNOW, THE
LECTURE SERIES, THE TITLE, HAS TWO PARTS.
THE FIRST PART IS 'GLOBAL LEADERSHIP.'
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO FOCUS ON.
AND THE SECOND PART IS, 'WOMEN ON THE WORLD STAGE.'
SO WE DECIDED TO LOOK AT GLOBAL LEADERSHIP THROUGH
THE PRISM OF WOMEN BECAUSE IT IS THE TREND OF THE
21st CENTURY, AND EVEN MORE, IT MAY BECOME ONE OF
THE DEFINING TRENDS OF THE 21st CENTURY.
THERE ARE EXTREMELY INTERESTING DEVELOPMENTS
AROUND THE WORLD. THERE ARE THREE FEMALE
PRESIDENTS IN LATIN AMERICA - IN BRAZIL, ARGENTINA, AND
CHILE. THERE IS ANGELA MERKEL, OR
ANJELA MERKEL, TO PRONOUNCE IT CORRECTLY, IN GERMANY,
AND SHE IS NOT JUST THE TOP GERMAN LEADER, SHE IS THE
LEADER OF THE EUROPEAN UNION.
AND THAT'S NOT ALL ABOUT GERMANY, 40% OF HER CABINET
ARE WOMEN, AND I WILL GIVE ONLY ONE EXAMPLE, THE NEW
MINISTER OF DEFENSE, URSULA VON DER LEYEN, SHE HAS SEVEN
CHILDREN. NOT ONE, NOT TWO, BUT SEVEN
CHILDREN. SO THIS IS SOMETHING TO
THINK ABOUT. IN ASIA, YOU KNOW, THAT IS
KNOWN FOR ITS TRADITION OF WOMEN LEADERS.
THERE IS AN INTERESTING PRESIDENT OF SOUTH KOREA.
ALSO THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION IN BURMA.
AND WHEN WE COME TO AFRICA, THERE'S JUST ABSOLUTELY
SOMETHING UNPRECEDENTED AND AMAZING HAPPENING THERE, AND
IT'S NOT JUST WOMEN AS PRESIDENTS.
YES, MALAWI AND LIBERIA ELECTED WOMEN AS PRESIDENTS,
THERE IS A FEMALE PRIME MINISTER IN SENEGAL.
BUT THERE ARE SO MANY WOMEN IN PARLIAMENTS.
IN SOUTH AFRICA, 42% ARE WOMEN MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT.
SO IT'S JUST ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, AND IT IS A GLOBAL
TREND, AND THAT MEANS THAT WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT,
THE TREND IS GOING TO CONTINUE, AND THAT'S WHY WE
NEED TO LOOK AT IT, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, WE NEED TO LOOK
AT THIS AND UNDERSTAND THAT. >> SO I'M CURIOUS AS TO WHY
THE TALKS ARE BEING PRESENTED FROM THE
PERSPECTIVE OF WOMEN AND NOT MEN, EVEN THOUGH YOUR VERY
FIRST LECTURE IS BEING PRESENTED BY A MALE.
WHY JUST FROM THE PRISM OF WOMEN, MARTHA?
>> WELL, NOT JUST FROM THE PRISM OF WOMEN.
YOU MAKE A VERY GOOD POINT, THAT THE FIRST LECTURE IS BY
A MALE. HE'S TALKING ABOUT WOMEN.
BUT IN ORDER FOR WOMEN TO MOVE INTO LEADERSHIP IN ANY
FIELD, WHETHER IT'S GOVERNMENT, WHETHER IT'S
CORPORATE, WHEREVER IT IS, MEN HAVE TO BE ON BOARD
BECAUSE, LET'S FACE IT, MEN STILL CONTROL MOST OF THE
MAJOR INSTITUTIONS IN THE WORLD, THE EXAMPLES WE JUST
HEARD NOTWITHSTANDING. TAKE THE U.S. GOVERNMENT.
WOMEN ARE ONLY 17% OF OUR LEGISLATURES, AND FEWER THAN
THAT IN MANY STATES. BUT CERTAINLY AT THE
NATIONAL LEVEL, WE'VE NEVER HAD A WOMAN PRESIDENT.
AND IN ORDER TO ELEVATE WOMEN, WE HAVE TO HAVE MEN
THAT SEE THE VALUE OF WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP.
SO I THINK THAT WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO SAY IS, THIS IS
NOT JUST ABOUT WOMEN, IT'S ABOUT WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP.
BUT MEN HAVE TO BE A PART OF THAT TREND, AND THEY WILL BE
A PART. >> WHEN WE TALK ABOUT GLOBAL
LEADERSHIP, I MEAN, MARTHA, YOU KNOW THAT THIS IS NOT A
NEW CONCEPT. WE'VE SEEN WOMEN TAKING ON
ALL KINDS OF GLOBAL LEADERSHIP ROLES.
SO WHY IS IT IMPORTANT THAT WE DISCUSS THIS NOW HERE IN
NEW MEXICO, ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND AROUND THE
WORLD? >> WELL, AS NICHOLAS KRISTOF
SAID AND SHERYL WUDUNN IN 'HALF THE SKY,' WHEN YOU
ELIMINATE HALF THE TALENT, YOU ELIMINATE HALF OF THE
POTENTIAL FOR GROWTH, FOR PROGRESS, AND FOR INNOVATIVE
THINKING. SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT.
WOMEN ARE NOW THE MAJORITY OF THE POPULATION IN NEW
MEXICO AND IN THE UNITED STATES.
WE ARE THE MAJORITY OF THOSE WHO REGISTER TO VOTE, AND
WE'RE THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY SHOW UP
AT THE POLLS. SO PEOPLE NEED TO BE PAYING
ATTENTION TO THE MAJORITY. YOU KNOW, FOR SO LONG WOMEN
WERE THOUGHT OF AS A SPECIAL INTEREST, AND YOU WILL STILL
HEAR THAT. BUT, NO, WOMEN ARE THE
MAJORITY. WOULDN'T IT BE INTERESTING
IF WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT MEN AS A SPECIAL INTEREST
GROUP. >> INTERESTING POINT.
>> MAY I ADD TO THAT? >> ABSOLUTELY.
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, WHY FROM WOMEN'S PERSPECTIVE?
WELL, WHEN WE CHOOSE SPEAKERS FOR THE ALBUQUERQUE
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION, WE JUST GO FOR THE BEST
SPEAKERS, FOR THE BEST EXPERTS.
SO WE DO NOT USE ANY GENDER PRINCIPLES HERE, JUST WOMEN
TO SPEAK, OR MEN. WE GO FOR THE BEST.
SO, YES, OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS A MAN, AND THEN WE HAVE
SOME WOMEN. BUT THESE MEN AND WOMEN,
THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT THE TRENDS, THEY'RE TALKING
ABOUT THOSE INTERESTING LEADERS.
SO THERE WILL BE A TALK ON LATIN AMERICA ON THREE
FEMALE PRESIDENTS IN A CONTINENT, YOU KNOW, THAT IS
NOT USED TO HAVING TOO MANY FEMALE LEADERS AT THE VERY
TOP. THEN WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A
SPEAKER ON ANGELA MERKEL, AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO HAVE
A SPEAKER ON ASIAN POLITICAL WOMEN, AND WE JUST CHOSE THE
BEST SPEAKERS THAT ARE THERE.
ANOTHER THING: WHY FOR NEW MEXICO?
WHY DOES IT MATTER FOR NEW MEXICO WHAT WE ARE BRINGING
HERE? WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I THINK
THAT IT'S ROLE MODELS, AND I THINK HERE AGAIN WE NEED TO
GO FOR THE BEST. I WAS SPEAKING TO SOMEBODY
AND THEY SAID, OH, YOU KNOW, WE CATER TO WOMEN THAT ARE
JUST STARTING, BEGINNING THEIR SMALL BUSINESSES.
WHAT IS THERE FOR THEM? ROLE MODELS AND INSPIRATION.
IN ORDER TO GET SOMEWHERE, YOU NEED TO AIM HIGH, NOT
LOW, BECAUSE OTHERWISE YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET
ANYWHERE. SO IT'S ROLE MODELS, IT'S
INSPIRATION, AND IT'S ABOUT LEARNING ABOUT WHAT'S
HAPPENING, THE NEW TRENDS IN THE WORLD.
AND THE NEW TRENDS IS BECAUSE IT'S HAPPENING ON A
MUCH WIDER SCALE THAN IT HAPPENED BEFORE, OR A LARGER
SCALE THAN IT HAPPENED BEFORE.
>> SO JUST GOING BACK TO SOME OF THE THINGS YOU
MENTIONED ABOUT HAVING ROLE MODELS, EXAMPLES TO EMULATE,
HOW ARE WE DOING, MARTHA, IN THAT WAY WHEN WE COMPARE HOW
WOMEN ARE DOING, SAY, IN THE UNITED STATES TO OTHER
COUNTRIES? WHERE ARE WE ON THAT FRONT?
>> WELL, WE'RE NOT DOING AS WELL AS I WISH WE WERE.
ON THE GLOBAL GENDER GAP INDEX, WHICH MEASURES ALL
KINDS OF THINGS FROM PAY EQUITY TO LEADERSHIP AND
PARLIAMENTS AND SO FORTH, WE ARE 23rd IN THE WORLD, AND
WE'RE GOING DOWN JUST A LITTLE BIT WITH EVERY
MEASURE. IN PAY EQUITY, WHERE WOMEN
ARE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THAT, IT ALWAYS POLLS VERY
HIGH ON WOMEN'S CONCERNS, ESPECIALLY HERE IN NEW
MEXICO BECAUSE WE DON'T DO SO WELL OVERALL, WE'RE
67th IN THE WORLD, AND MOST PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE
THAT. SO WHILE WE ARE VERY HIGH IN
STANDARD OF LIVING, OBVIOUSLY, COMPARED TO SO
MANY COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD AND THE PLIGHT OF WOMEN,
THERE ARE PLACES WHERE WE CAN DO BETTER, AS THEY SAY.
AND I THINK THE POINT ABOUT ROLE MODELS IS A VERY WELL
TAKEN POINT FOR THIS REASON. NOT ONLY IS IT A ROLE MODEL
FOR GIRLS, YOU CAN'T BE A THING UNTIL YOU CAN IMAGINE
IT. SO GIRLS HAVE TO BE ABLE TO
SEE WHAT IS POSSIBLE. BUT SO DO YOUNG MEN.
THEY NEED TO GET USED TO THE IDEA THAT LEADERSHIP CAN BE
SHARED, THAT IT IS A TWO-WAY STREET, AND I THINK
EVERYBODY WILL BE BETTER OFF.
>> AND YES, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LEADERSHIP,
YOU KNOW, MANY OF PAST LEADERSHIP, MANY OF THE
QUALITIES OF THE LEADERS, OR WHAT QUALITIES LEADERS
SHOULD HAVE, IT'S JUST A UNISEX CONCEPT.
WE DON'T NEED TO DIVIDE IT HERE BETWEEN GIRLS AND BOYS.
>> RIGHT. IN OTHER WORDS, WE NEED TO BRING EVERYONE TO
THE TABLE, HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS IN OUR LIVING
ROOMS, IN COMPANIES, IN MEETINGS, BECAUSE IT TAKES
EVERYBODY TO COME TOGETHER AND HAVE THIS DISCUSSION.
WE CAN'T SEE CHANGE HAPPENING IN JUST A VACUUM.
I WANT TO BRING THE DISCUSSION TO A CONCLUSION.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, DR. MARTHA BURK, THANK YOU
SO MUCH DR. MARINA OBOROTOVA, FOR COMING
TOGETHER WITH US AND HAVING THIS IMPORTANT DISCUSSION.
AND WE WILL CONTINUE THIS DISCUSSION ON THE WEB.
THANK YOU, BOTH OF YOU. >> THANK YOU.