Lilya Tahiri Joutei Hassani
Lilya Tahiri Joutei Hassani – Gender Equality Network Member
Gender equality isn’t something that only rises in a lab or a lecture. It’s rooted in the way our society works, so ingrained in our minds that it usually goes unnoticed. That’s patriarchy. The only way to undo it is piece by piece: challenging every single belief until people see women for what we are, men’s equal balance and not weaker in any way.
Women in the workplace, in sport and in politics... had to fight to earn their voices. Now let’s use them, together !
Because patriarchy hurts men too: the pressure to never show weakness, to bottle everything up... Equality should be liberating for everyone.
This is also personal for me. Having lived across Middle Eastern, African and European cultures, I’ve seen the different shapes it takes. Working on women’s health showed me how much women’s needs are overlooked in healthcare innovation and research, because women weren’t in the conversation, or even the trials.
What I’ll actually do:
- Make it easy to speak up: a simple, anonymous way to flag issues, with real follow-up.
- Bring in role models: talks and chats with people of all genders across engineering, medtech and industry.
- Challenge the everyday stuff: fair group allocation, inclusive teaching, real representation at events.
- Bring everyone in: men belong in these conversations too.
- Back up wellbeing: work with student support so no one feels isolated or ignored.
Equality should feel normal, not like an extra. Vote Lilya!