The Power of Her | Onyi Iriemenam | TEDxAIS Abuja Youth

The speaker addresses the power of supporting women and girls, emphasizing that equality benefits everyone. She challenges basic stereotypes about girls, such as loving pink or crying when angry, and delves into deeper expectations like being passive, quitters, or too emotional. Drawing on Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's concept of the "single story," the speaker argues that stereotypes are incomplete and prevent a full understanding of individuals. She asserts society's responsibility to support girls to become strong contributors, highlighting that girls grow into women who are essential to society, often serving as the "glue" that holds communities together. Her own mother, a full-time mom with three kids and a finance specialist, exemplifies the incredible multitasking and nurturing capabilities of women. The economic impact of supporting women is significant. A 2018 World Bank study found that educating women and enabling their entry into the workforce could add $15 to $30 trillion to the global economy. Bangladesh serves as an example: after focusing on garment manufacturing and employing millions of women, its GDP grew tenfold from $3.5 trillion in the 1980s to over $33.5 trillion today. Furthermore, women in leadership roles positively impact companies. While men tend to focus on "what" needs to be done with a top-down approach, women lead by focusing on "who" is involved and "why" their work matters, fostering transformational leadership. Research from MIT and Carnegie Mellon demonstrated that groups with more women outperformed high-IQ groups in problem-solving tasks due to collective intelligence, characterized by listening, collaboration, and turn-taking. The speaker concludes by urging everyone to advocate for girls, end stereotypes, and support them, as this empowers girls to become authentic women, boosts the economy, and creates powerful leaders.