We’re all navigating a deeply challenging space. Being heard and effecting change in uncharted environmental and geopolitical terrain is hard. Women face additional hurdles, with studies showing that it is even harder to be heard if you’re a woman in such contexts.
Despite these barriers, women globally are driving scientific advancements and impactful change. We lead by influencing policy reforms, spearheading technological innovations, and shaping decisions crucial to transitioning to a sustainable, low-carbon economy.
We each bring unique insights, priorities, and narratives that, when combined with empirical evidence, drive transformative shifts. Shifts that can bring just, equitable, resilient, and responsive change to communities around the world.
Creating spaces to listen – and hear – female voices is critical in our journey. We need to formalise and embed participatory processes into decision making because when things are challenging it’s easily overlooked. And by participatory processes we don’t mean being consulted; we mean being at the table and being part of the decision making. This leads us all to better outcomes, because broader society can get behind more inclusive futures, that they’ve helped design.
These processes are essential in understanding and finding novel solutions to the complex challenges we face today. By prioritising inclusive dialogue and truly listening, we not only amplify female voices but also harness our perspectives to create more comprehensive solutions.
We can lead by cultivating environments and ecosystems where diverse voices are not only heard but actively valued and integrated into continuous learning and listening.
There are a million ways to learn, and there are a million ways to listen. But to find the best outcomes, above all we need to make sure we are heard, and to do that we need to formalise the need for participatory processes when shaping our future.
Because being a woman and being loud creates more space for further meaningful female contributions. But it also enriches our collective ability to navigate towards a more sustainable and equitable future. So be loud, listen, learn and make change.
– Grace Kirkby and Jody Bruce, Towards Net Zero Mission, CSIRO
