BEIRUT: After achieving a record number of registered candidates in the upcoming elections and continuing to gain a footing in the workplace, for many Lebanese women, a question remains: Where does this progress leave motherhood? This issue was the discussion of the day at the Elle Fiesta event at the Hilton Habtoor Grand Hotel in Beirut Saturday, with a conference, workshops and exhibitions dedicated to the empowerment and education of women.
The conference was led by some of the region’s most prominent women, including those who have mastered the art of balancing demanding careers with motherhood. It addressed the importance of sharing knowledge between women on the question of work and family.
Self-declared Mom-Trepreneur, Yasmina Audi – founder of both Elle Fiesta and the organization that organized the event, Super Mama Lebanon – challenged the preconceived notion that women must choose between career and family.
Audi recalled the beginning of Super Mama Lebanon in its incarnation as a personal blog, which later gained momentum and became what is now a virtual community of mothers who share knowledge on how to tackle everyday struggles.
Opening the discussion was Minister of State for Women’s Affairs Jean Ogasapian, who focused on securing the role of women in the economic field and on women achieving financial autonomy.
Ogasapian expressed his admiration for women who pursue business and entrepreneurship, highlighting the event’s workshops and exhibitions that were devoted to helping mothers who work from home establish a network base.
“There are many nice and creative ideas. I wish them success to market their products,” Ogasapian said. “This affirms that domains are open to every human according to what he or she has to contribute to building the family, community and eventually a nation.”
“I see that a woman can play a completely equal role to that of the man,” the minister said.
As the first speaker, Raghida Dergham, the founder and executive chairman of the Beirut Institute, broke the ice by saying, “my daughter’s friends used to call me Mama Cool.”
Despite having scored wide-ranging achievements such as being named “Arab woman of the year” by the London Arabia Organisation in 2017, Dergham expressed grave concern for the status of women in the country.
“A woman’s situation does not call for pride at all in Lebanon,” Dergham warned. “I have a desire to walk the path not only on the personal and professional aspect, but also the parliamentary path,” she said, adding that she would stand in the upcoming elections.
Deploring what she described as an abundance of qualified women but their disproportionate lack of representation in the political decision-making process, Dergham said, “This may be one of the reasons that made me decide to enter the electoral domain for a seat at Parliament because I felt that this insult is unbearable.”
Jacqueline Maalouf, founder and president of the National Diabetes Organization in Lebanon, said in her address that she was eager to face the challenge of motherhood. “My family is my pride ... You determine who you want to be. If you want you can.”
Still, Maalouf cautioned against the double-agent life for those not fully prepared to have a demanding career and being a mother. “You can’t pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself,” she said.
As the conference came to an end, Mona Bawarshi, the CEO of Gezairi Transport Group, shared her story of how she, a mother and grandmother, rose to her position. Her secret? Sheer determination, based on a belief that women should not be deterred in the face of their many responsibilities.
According to the “Working Women in the Middle East and North Africa” survey by regional job site Bayt.com and global online market research company YouGov, 88 percent of respondents in Lebanon reported having a mix of men and women within the same workplace. This figure ranks Lebanon as first of the region.
Regardless of recent progress and hopeful statistics, an unfortunate reality remains of gender inequality and questions surrounding motherhood.
“You are the lucky generation,” Bawarshi said, referring to the growing platform women have to speak out against and tackle the obstacles they face, compared to previous generations.
“Let’s try to win our battle ... I fought my battles. Sometimes we win, other times we don’t ... at least we create the path for other women.”
Antonia Williams-Annunziata | The Daily Star