AWiM21 Conference produced five winners across five-pitch categories. We present Professor Nitasha Ramparsad

Tell us/the readers about yourself, your education, job, interests and what you do for fun

I am the founding director of JD Legacy Projects and has over 15 years of experience in Executive and Leadership training. I currently hold a PhD in Philosophy of Politics. My study focused on gender mainstreaming practices within the South African State. I am a Professor but consider myself a practical academic.  I believe in advancing the developing world and producing knowledge around the lived experiences of the people therein.  Socio-economic challenges are often theorised without a good indication or analysis focused on gender disparities and, ultimately, an enabling environment for gender equality. This unique insight has earned me the Price Waterhouse Coopers Women in Management Award, awarded September 2019. Despite workplace policies, gender inequality remains a barrier to success across sectors.  I have authored and published a book aimed at Human Resource Practitioners and those working in a transformation called “Gender Equality at Work: Some are More Equal than Others”. This was released in September 2019. I am also an Associate Researcher for the Center for Justice at the Durban University of Technology. In addition, I am a peer reviewer for AOSIS online publishing, and I am the Module Discipline leader for Critical Thinking and Media Studies at VEGA school based in Johannesburg, South Africa. In addition, I supervise Masters students for the Regenesys Business School. I am also the Director of Senior Management and Professionalisation programmes at the School of Government in South Africa. I was featured in the Southern African Public Service Journal (in 2019), the AOSIS online peer-reviewed journal (in 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively), the We Will Lead Africa Volume 2 journal (in 2019) and the Agenda Feminist Journal, special issue in 20201. I will be part of the Palgrave Handbook on Transformation, released in 2022. I have launched my first children’s book in April 2021, called “Cloud Gazing” aimed at undoing gender stereotypes in children. I enjoy live music and doing yoga. I create endless creative activities such as painting and mosaics for myself and my 4-year-old son in my spare time. Changing the gendered narrative in formative years of development is an essential element of changing society; I practice this in my personal life. I believe that the gendered conversation must include men and boys and that a holistic strategy must be implemented to address societal inequalities.

What was your inspiration for the story that won the award? Why did you pitch in that particular category?

My children’s book, Cloud Gazing, was the inspiration for the story.  This book provides literature to children that inspires them to look at the world through a gender-neutral lens. I think that it is essential to ensure that young minds are influenced from a young age as gender disparities, in my view, are addressed too late in the development of thinking. By the time a person reaches adulthood, many stereotypes are entrenched in their thinking.  I pitched in my category Arts, Culture and Heritage: Levers for Building Africa We Want, as I feel that a piece about the evolution of thinking from a young age fits well in building a better Africa. This theme is also personal to me; as a gender activist, I feel that my personal experience of raising a boy means that I am responsible for undoing the cycle of toxic masculinity, at least with one mind. Hopefully, the piece will inspire caregivers and educators to permeate new thinking. Early childhood development coupled with progressive caregiving can be the lever that changes our society. I think this story can begin to change the gendered narrative for children. This story will assist in including men in the conversation. This theme is not a “women’s issue” and must include men and boys as they also face many social barriers throughout their lives.

How did you feel when you found out about your winning?

I was very shocked at winning in my category. I thought I had been invited as a formality like a “finalist”. I am genuinely humbled and excited that AWiM and the AU see value in my work.

What was the most exciting or best thing about this story?

The most exciting thing about this story is that it can influence a movement for young minds to be influenced in a non-stereotypical manner. The value of early childhood development is perhaps the most critical lever in changing society. With advanced caregiving, literature and storytelling are essential in changing the heteronormative narrative. There is also a focus on including men and boys and extending the conversation to not typically only focus on girls and women.

What challenges do you expect to face when working on this story?

I expect resistance from traditionalist thinkers who feel that the gendered status quo must remain. I have identified 2 progressive school groups and critical activists in South Africa who can comment and input the story. However, I think that when it reaches the mainstream, those who feel that gendered roles and power positions in society should remain as is will be resistant to a story that inspires a gender-neutral lens and an undoing of heteronormativity.

What support do women journalists need to produce similar stories?

Women journalists need to think about mainstreaming the idea of undoing gendered norms from early childhood development. Align with organisations working with not only young girls and women but also with men and boys. Many gendered conversations leave men out, look at progressive men as allies. A network of these kinds of organisations and people can assist in getting these kinds of stories into the mainstream as many media organisations and spaces are patriarchal. Look at resources from the research space, such as the Human Sciences Research Council in South Africa; this organisation produces knowledge globally. Similar organisations based on various African continents can assist with factual information. Also, look at creating a network with gender activists in your city or town; these activists usually have a “real” perspective that can be counterbalanced with the research from formal organisations.

What advice would you give other journalists seeking to produce similar stories?

My advice is to look at allies and look at who is working in this area of gender equality that can provide evidence to support the thinking that heteronormativity must be challenged. In addition, I would also advise you to be brave, do not be afraid of challenging the norms and standards that women and men are expected to fulfil. Do not look at this as a “women’s issue”; the gendered norms affect men and young boys.

What advice do you wish you had been given before you pitched this story and before you started working on it?

I would have appreciated knowing the timelines for the production of the story upfront. This would have enabled better planning given the global lull of the festive period that occurs in December. This element would have assisted with better planning.

After working on this story, what lessons/tips are you taking with you?

The main lesson to take away from this is to look at the importance of buy-in from caregivers and parents. Adults greatly influence early childhood development. Educators and literature, storytelling, even progressive lessons can only go so far. The adults influencing the children in their personal spaces must also be collaborators in changing the gendered narrative.

Did the pitch zone award make any difference in how you executed this story or in your ability and intention to work on this story?

The pitch zone award allowed me to have a broader reach of consulting activists and getting quality reviews. I am very grateful for this enablement as the reviews are usually unattainable. Paying for this assists with a more holistic view and identifying critical gaps that arise.

What is a quote that inspires you?

“Feminism isn’t about making women stronger. Women are already strong; it’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.” GD Anderson. This quote inspires me as this is what I believe. The acceptance of women as having a different “place, choosing their path and not being oppressed by essentially power dynamics will allow us to have a different world.

Who is an African journalist/ media woman that inspires you, and why?

Ferial Haffajee. I feel that she is a powerful woman in the media and has written and spoken of shunned themes. She reflects strength and guts and remains a humble woman with no airs and graces. I think her ability to write and speak so critically, coupled with her approach to her fame, makes her someone special. She has, in many ways, inspired me to think about the world through a different lens and made me address my own social and cultural barriers in the fulfilment of my vision for my own life.