A whole school assembly in the Boys’ Division focused on the International Women’s Day theme of ‘Embracing Equity’. The virtual assembly was led by Mr Ford, Head of Boys’ Division, and featured Miss Roddy (Boys’ Division Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Lead) and Katie Clinton, who is a Partner at KPMG, an Old Girl (Class of 1997) and serving Governor of the School.
The virtual assembly began with a Thought for the Day from Luca, who shared the importance and significance of International Women’s Day. He talked about the history of the day, which has been honouring the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women since 1911, and its origins in the earlier Women’s Rights movements of the late 1800s. He said that ‘the successes of women, at times of immense subjugation, stand as a testament to their courage and fight at times when feminism meant radical action in the face of oppression.’
Mr Ford reminded pupils that the Boys’ Division celebrates International Women’s Day to highlight the importance of male allies in the fight for equality and equity. He went on to explain the theme of ‘Embracing Equity’: where equality means that everyone is given the same resources, equity recognises that each person has different circumstances and allocates the resources needed for all to reach an equal outcome. He illustrated this idea through several real-life examples of inequity, such as cars being designed for the typical male driver and tested using dummies that replicate male bodies and driving positions, which leads to women being 47% more likely to be seriously injured, and 17% more likely to die.
He encouraged boys to try not to default to the male perspective, and to consider the differences that exist and might need to be overcome to help everyone thrive and succeed fairly and safely.
Katie Clinton then spoke about her career with KPMG: she joined the Graduate Training Scheme after university, qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in 2003, and was admitted to the KPMG Partnership in 2014. At the time, she was one of the youngest women to have ever done so. She talked about the ‘gruelling’ six month promotion process, culminating in a panel interview with the board of KPMG’s UK firm.
However, it was in that final interview that she was faced by a question she didn’t expect and began to realise that, despite her young age, she could have reached this point even sooner had she not been a women. At the end of her ten-minute presentation, the Chair of the panel expressed that he had completely understood her business case and had no questions on it, except one: why had it taken her so long to get here?
Katie said, ‘At no point in the previous six months, indeed at no point in the previous 14 years of my career … had it dawned on me for a moment that actually I wasn’t progressing as quickly as I could and should. … I was so proud to be in the room that day, and at such a young age. I considered myself so lucky to have the opportunity to become a KPMG Partner. The conversation in the room triggered by that one question was probably one of the most powerful, thought-provoking questions I will ever have in my career. Perhaps not quite the conversation I expected to be having in the interview of my life, but one that ignited my commitment to making KPMG a fully inclusive workplace where everyone can come as they are, where all colleagues have equitable opportunities to progress their careers and thrive, regardless of their gender or ethnicity or any part of their identity, background of circumstance.’
Her powerful address culminated with the important role that men and boys play in the fight for equity for all disadvantaged groups. She asked the boys to be aware of the kind of experiences that their female peers face, and to try to understand them, so that they can be aware of the differences that exist and may need to be overcome for everyone to succeed.
Finally, Miss Roddy brought the assembly to a close with her final thoughts, reassuring the boys that they did not create the culture of gender inequality that exists today. However, she went on to explain that today’s young people have inherited it, and have the power and responsibility to take back control.
She encouraged them to listen, ask questions about why inequalities exist and educate themselves in order to make change, and be brave and speak up when they see inequalities. Looking ahead to the future, she asked boys to embrace equity in their future careers. She ended with a call to action: ‘The fight for gender equality will be won far faster with the help of male allies. Use your power and your privilege to be an ally. Join in, support one another. By embracing equity, we can all affect positive change in the world.’
