International Women’s Day 2021 - #ChoosetoChallenge

To celebrate International Women’s Day 2021, six colleagues from across Food Standards Scotland share their hopes for a more inclusive society.

Mhairi Malcolm, Resilience Manager

"I hope that a more inclusive society is something that is realised and demonstrated across the world in the near future. I believe this a collective effort that respects everyone’s views and celebrates their achievements regardless of their gender or background. Inclusion is important as it enables everyone to have access to the same opportunities throughout life and encourages fairness. It can help to create a more diverse society which brings together people with different backgrounds, beliefs and experiences, which we can all share and learn from."

Dr Ara Chobanova, Scientific Advisor

"I hope in the future women will no longer be facing the stigma, around their personal decisions to have or not to have children. In the sector I am currently in, there aren’t any pay gaps relating to gender. I wish that this is achieved in all work sectors.

Diversity and inclusion are important for many reasons, for me personally working in a diverse and inclusive working environment has helped me to develop my career in my field of interest. From a young age, I was encouraged to pursue a career in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics and this has had a big positive impact, leading to where I am today."

Christina Anthony, Incidents Support Manager

"It would be nice to think that one day ‘being more inclusive’ is not something that we even have to think about as a society and that inclusion for all becomes normality.

Diversity and inclusion are important to me because everyone deserves to be safe, valued and represented, whether this is in society or in the workplace."

Mikaela Mackinnon, Communications Executive

"We all have different and diverse experiences and skills to bring to the table, so it’s important to make sure that all women feel empowered to make our voices heard."

Maria Aceves, Official Veterinarian

"Although we can always observe some setback, society in general evolves towards a more inclusive model. The new generations accept the differences not only of gender, but also of sexual orientation, religion, or physical and intellectual capacities. If our children live in a society in which everyone is respected and accepted regardless of the aforementioned differences, they will find discrimination unacceptable and shocking. This is what I have been able to appreciate in my environment and with my children.

Each person deserves respect, no one should be judged a priority and we all have powers and limitations, we have to promote the former and try to overcome the latter. Our social and economic system is very varied, each and every one of us can contribute something. This diversity is positive in many aspects: it brings different points of view, different ways of approaching a problem to solve it, the joint effort of all, with the same rights and obligations, moves society and the economy forward, and if we also do not feel judged or valued based on our sex, religion, sexual orientation, or physical appearance, we will be happier, we can feel more free."

Dr Fiona Comrie, Senior Public Health Nutrition Adviser

"I’m really keen to see a bigger role for allyship in society. It shouldn’t always be up to those at a disadvantage to advocate for themselves.

I’d love to feel like my daughters would not grow up feeling ‘less than’, because they are girls."

International Women’s Day celebrates is a global event that celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The theme for 2021 is #ChooseToChallenge.