The power of women from science to politics

Within the framework of International Women’s Day, the Forum “Stronger Women for Colombia” was held, a virtual event with the participation of former Culture Minister Maria Consuelo Araujo, biologist and president of EAN University, Brigitte Baptiste.

Special guests were Vice President of Colombia, Marta Lucia Ramirez. Director General of the Central Military Hospital Clara Galves; Dean of the National University of Colombia, Dolly Montoya; Vice President of Sustainable Development at Grupo Nutresa, Maria Adelaide Aranjo; Epidemiologist Zulma Coconopa; Johanna Bahamon is the President of Acción Interna.

Participants had the opportunity to talk about their experiences in the different fields of work in which women have opened up spaces fighting for gender equality.

One of the first to speak was Colombia’s Vice President, Marta Lucia Ramirez, who made history by being the first woman to hold the position in the country.

Ramirez acknowledged that working in politics is not an easy thing, but acknowledged that “there must be people in charge of running the state and government to be able to design and implement public policies that truly serve all citizens on an equal footing.”

The official also acknowledged that she had to sacrifice a lot of the family’s time in order to fulfill her duties as vice president. According to her, she has devoted nearly 18 hours to her work, but she does so with passion because her actions affect millions of people across the country.

Clara Speranza Galves, director of the Central Military Hospital and a Major General in the Army, admitted that playing her role in society was not an easy task, because it was difficult for her to break the model of a “career designed for men.”

“We women are starting to show that it was not just a matter of strength, but of capabilities.”

According to the official, there are currently more than 5,000 women active in the military and more than 10,000 in the police. “These figures show that the work was done with great persistence, dedication and effort.”