Why we’re making gender equity a priority at NIAC
By: Jamal Abdi
Tags: Gender Equity, International Womens Day, Gender Equality

As the world celebrates International Women’s Day 2019, I’m pleased to announce a new gender equity initiative we are undertaking at the National Iranian American Council. This year’s International Women’s Day theme, #BalanceforBetter, is moving organizations all across the world in forging a more gender-balanced world – and for the Iranian-American community, we are proud to join that effort.

NIAC is dedicated to protecting the civil rights of all Americans and amplifying the voices of the Iranian-American community. As such, we take seriously our responsibility to lead by example. That means taking an intentional approach to shaping our internal practices and our public education and advocacy efforts around the values that drive our work.

We have taken steps over the years to address gender balance, such as instituting a policy of no all-male panels beginning in 2013. But like so many others, we have room to grow and ensure that all are afforded a seat at the table. We are proud to join an increasing number of organizations in the policy and security space who are taking concrete steps to undo the gender imbalance that has for too long existed in the field. That’s why NIAC established a Gender Equity Task Force late last year comprised of a representative from our boards and staff to make gender equity a priority.

Our task force includes NIAC’s board chair Shokooh Miry, a psychologist who previously directed clinical services at one of the largest rape crisis centers in California; NIAC Action’s board secretary Yasmin Radjy, Interim National Political Director at Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund; NIAC board member Sanam Anderlini, a gender advisor to the UN and founding executive director of the women’s human rights organization International Civil Society Action Network; and NIAC’s National Organizing Director Donna Farvard.

Working with the Task Force, we developed a set of commitments for gender equity that we enshrined through a unanimous vote by our board of directors:

Aim for 50% of board and staff leadership positions to be held by women by the end of 2019, with a guaranteed commitment of no less than 40%;

Guard against income inequality by conducting regular salary analyses that are shared with staff;

Develop a set of community guidelines to ensure that NIAC’s events and activities are always safe spaces for everyone involved.

Additionally, as NIAC’s president, I joined the Gender Champions in Nuclear Policy leadership network and committed to implementing the above pledges, as well as agreeing not to appear on any all-male panels (or “manels” as they are commonly referred to these days) and instead encourage panel hosts to invite one of the many brilliant female experts in the policy and security fields.

But this is just a start. We are dedicated to achieving gender parity in the authorship of articles, to promote more women spokespersons and experts to ensure better balance in our press coverage, and to take on programmatic work, such as gender issues, as topics at NIAC briefings and events.

Over the past two years, we as a society have begun to navigate an overdue dialogue about gender, misogyny, and how systemic patriarchy shapes the world around us. Whether through the shocking revelations unearthed by the #MeToo movement or the more subtle-but-pernicious examples of power imbalances and unspoken sexism that impact women in all aspects of life, gender equity is now getting the attention it deserves – and we are humbled to be part of an effort to ensure we all do better.

Good intentions will never be enough – whether it is the “thoughts and prayers” offered by politicians who fail to follow through with real action, the contradictions of policymakers who oppose war but fail to do the work necessary to actually prevent it, or workplaces where male bosses respect their male and female employees equally but don’t take steps to arrest the systemic trends that lead to gender inequity. That’s why it is so important that we take a deliberate, thoughtful approach to promoting gender equity – one that incorporates honest assessments of what must be done to seriously challenge and ultimately move our community and the world to a state of gender parity.

As we head into Spring, and with Persian new year fast approaching, we look forward to the opportunity to put into action the Norooz tenet of “renewal” by working with our community to refresh our perspectives, celebrate gender parity, and foster a society that ultimately embraces how much better the world is when we nurture balance.