Who we are
We are a global, intergenerational network of policy makers, thinkers, innovators, educators, entrepreneurs, implementers, and catalysts from diverse disciplines and backgrounds who have come together to pursue one vision:
To transform society so that both women and men can pursue their dreams, fulfill their potential, exercise leadership, and be respected for their achievements.
The members of our network hail from many different countries, different backgrounds, and many different fields of endeavour – science, law, business, design, engineering, the social sciences, arts and humanities. As diverse in our thinking as in the languages we speak, we are united by the desire to improve opportunities and outcomes for women.
We share a reading of a problem and desire to forge possible solutions, free from rules of representation, free from decision-making and constraints of institutions towards affecting social impact.
What we stand for
The inequity women experience cannot be resolved by focusing on women alone, nor can it be resolved by women alone. To successfully challenge societal norms, overcome prejudice and remove structural barriers, men must be as much a part of IDEAL Society as women.
Essential to our purpose is education. Whatever challenges each of us has encountered along our own pathways in life, we have all benefitted immeasurably from an excellent education. It has been the single most important factor in enabling us to pursue our dreams, overcome adversity, and achieve our goals.
We are the fortunate ones. A good education – sometimes any education – is not an option for the majority of women around the world. This must change.
But even in countries where there have been significant gains in education for women, it has not necessarily led to women getting better jobs or achieving equal pay. Workplace culture and labour market laws must change too. We strive not to change women but to changing the rules of the game to acknowledge women’s uniqueness.
Alongside these broad structural issues are private, domestic considerations. Gender inequality often begins at home, and from an early age. Prejudice learned by boys and internalised by girls in their formative years cannot be ignored if we are to bring about deep, generational change.
