March 8 marks International Women´s Day and it is a day celebrated in many countries around the globe. This day has been recognized as a National day in America in 1909, but Clara Zetkin, a communist activist and advocate for women´s rights, suggested in 1910 that this day should become a global celebration. Her suggestion was supported by one hundred women representatives from 17 different countries. United Nations first celebrated the day in 1975, nominating themes each year for this important day.
This year, the theme is #EmbraceEquity, focusing on ¨challenging gender stereotypes, call out discrimination, draw attention to bias and seek out inclusion¨. At B2Space, we rely on the female employees to reach our business goals.
To celebrate International Women´s Day, we asked some of the inspirational women working at our company about their personal experiences as women in the space industry and what they think of International Women´s Day.
Ayse Colak TT&C Engineer
Why is the celebration of International Women´s Day important?
International women’s day is an important reminder of our need to keep challenging gender inequalities. It is also an important day to celebrate and highlight the importance of women as pioneers across industry.
Were there any barriers in your career due to being a woman? If yes, how did you overcome them?
As a woman who has studied within a significantly male-dominated sector, I have been met with ignorant views and stereotypes about women at various stages. Fortunately, I have met very inspiring people along the way too and this has helped me to keep focused and taught me to not give up.
Do you think it is important to have diversity in the workplace?
I believe it symbolises progression if there is diversity in a sector. Personally, I find working with different people from different backgrounds to be inspiring and increases productivity and creativity.
What empowers you?
Setting goals for myself and feeling supported by good colleagues and employers to be able to move forward in line with these goals.
Judith Martín – B2Space Co-Founder and IT & Marketing Director
Why is the celebration of International Women´s Day important?
The celebration is important because in today´s society a lot of progress has been made in terms of equality for women. However, there are still countries where there is much more to be done, and although there are already advances, women do not always have the same opportunity as men… we must ensure that we can protect our rights and ensure that all women can achieve our potential.
Were there any barriers in your career due to being a woman? If yes, how did you overcome them?
Luckily, I have not experienced any barriers. I studied computer science, which is what I like doing, and despite being only 2 girls in the class at the time, there was always teamwork and I never noticed inequality. In my professional career I also did not experience inequality or barriers; I worked for the public transport at the Metro de Madrid in customer service, as well as Project Manager Officer and IT in Airbus and for companies that work for Airbus. I worked in careers which were male dominated as well as female dominated, so I feel lucky to have had a positive experience throughout. I have friends who have suffered this inequality and have been treated differently. For them I want equality and lack of barriers.
Do you think it is important to have diversity in the workplace?
Yes, I do believe that diversity guarantees a variety of different perspectives, allowing for more agile and productive efforts. I have read that teams that are more diverse tend to innovate more and show solutions when solving problems.
What empowers you?
I am empowered because of my achievements, goals that I set and achieved through my studies and professional career. I have my own company and I work from home; I am able to choose the time I dedicate for work, whilst also dedicating time to my current studies in graphic design and my one -year -old daughter. I love being able to dedicate myself to what I like without any barriers.
Flavia Pérez – Aerospace Engineer
Why is the celebration of International Women´s Day important?
I believe it is important because it is a day to celebrate the accomplishment of women from around the world and remind everyone that although a lot of progress has been made, there is still a lot to do.
Were there any barriers in your career due to being a woman? If yes, how did you overcome them?
I have personally been lucky in this aspect, and I have never experienced any barriers.
I did not have a female figure to look up to, a mentor or a supervisor so this could be a barrier, but I always strive to be better, and I worked hard to be where I am now. Women are the minority in the engineering sector, but fortunately this percentage is increasing.
Do you think it is important to have diversity in the workplace?
I think it is extremely important. Having a diverse environment in gender and in culture provides various points of views that make the workers and the company grow faster and better.
What empowers you?
When I accomplish the tasks for my job and personal goals. It could be simply a task that I needed to finish for a deadline or a more long-term goal such as cycling a specific route by the end of the year.
Daisy Richardson – Junio Aerospace Engineer
Why is the celebration of International Women´s Day important?
To remember the amazing women that got our society to the way it is today and recognise their work despite the immense challenges they had to overcome. International women’s day also shows everyone that no barrier is too big.
Were there any barriers in your career due to being a woman? If yes, how did you overcome them?
I think I am very fortunate that I was pursuing a career during a major push to get women into STEM careers. Although it was difficult to see myself in a career in an industry in which there were few women to look up to, I received a lot of support and guidance during applications.
Do you think it is important to have diversity in the workplace?
Yes, for two reasons. The first being that it brings different perspectives to work making the team well rounded. People who have different experiences of life will often bring different ideas or even just a different atmosphere into a team which can lead to greater productivity and more innovative projects.
The second being that it shows younger generations and therefore potential future employees that there is a place for them. One of my teachers at school always used to say ‘if you can see it you can be it’ which I think is incredibly important. Children need someone to look up to, and if they are represented in an industry they are interested in, they are more likely to pursue that career.
What empowers you?
Since working in the industry, I have had the opportunity to give many talks to younger generations about my experiences and career path. It always feels so empowering when they ask me questions about my job or how I got there. One of my favourite memories is after I gave a talk to the rocketry club at my sixth form and a group of girls came up to me afterwards and said how useful the talk had been for them. They were all discussing STEM related careers.
Estíbaliz Alcalde – Project Manager
Why is celebration of International Women´s Day important?
Celebrating International Women´s Day across the globe is important because nowadays, women are still not included in all aspects of life as equal individuals.
Were there any barriers in your career due to being a woman? If yes, how did you overcome them?
I was lucky enough to not encounter any barriers in my professional career as I always strive to be me best self and perform well in my workplace, however I decided to become a mother and had to choose my priorities and that affected my career advancement.
Do you think it is important to have diversity in the workplace?
I believe that diversity in the workplace is crucial for a better environment. It is powerful to mix different mindsets.
What empowers you?
For me, empowerment comes from belonging in a group that accepts me as I am, and in my current role I have achieved that.
As a company, we are delighted to be working with such inspirational women and strive to provide an environment in which all our employees are respected, valued, and have equal opportunities. #EmbraceEquity
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