Mona Sinha is the Executive Director of Equality Now and a renowned advocate for gender equality and women’s empowerment. The seeds of standing up for social justice and women’s rights sprouted early. She was the youngest of three daughters, growing up in Calcutta, where more value was placed on boys than girls. Early awareness of the gender disparity shaped her passion for challenging the status quo and helped her become a vital force in elevating the economic agency of women and amplifying women leaders worldwide.
Mona shares with Dr. Nancy her personal journey of growing up in Calcutta and the moment her life took a transformative turn. Volunteering at Mother Teresa’s orphanage during her teen years, Mona had an “a-ha” moment that ignited her drive to go down the path of promoting women’s rights and social justice.
“One day I realized that there were no boys there, precisely because they either got adopted first or they were never given up for adoption. And so that kind of struck me…There were these little signs all along that made me realize that girls were just not as wanted as boys were.”
Life-Changing Education
Mona was presented with a life-changing opportunity to attend university in the United States. She chose Smith College. At this renowned women’s college, she discovered her value and the importance of self-reliance. Without the safety net of her family nearby, she was forced to push out of her comfort zone and create her own support network. Her experience at Smith not only provided her with a strong academic foundation but also instilled in her a belief in the power of women supporting one another and the importance of empowering oneself.
A Higher Calling – Equality Now
After working in finance and marketing roles, Mona realized her true calling was to make a difference in the lives of women. She became involved with Equality Now, an organization that works to advance gender equality and women’s rights through legal avenues. Mona points out that “until you have fundamental legal equality…there’s no recourse for anything.” Often it takes years of very difficult work suing countries and arbitrating in human rights court to get laws passed. However, she says that they have succeeded in getting six or seven laws changed since January.
Equality Now collaborates with international bodies like the United Nations, the EU, and the African Union to advocate for gender equality and support initiatives to end violence against women, child marriage, and harmful practices like female genital mutilation. They form coalitions around a specific issue they aim to stop, like child marriages, which are actually still legal in all but 10 states in the U.S. Michigan was the most recent state to require girls to be 18 years old to get married.
Women Moving Millions
Mona is also the Chairperson of Women Moving Millions, a unique organization comprised of members who are committed to giving away a minimum of one million dollars to support women and girls. The organization fosters a tight-knit community of philanthropic women who leverage their wealth and networks to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment globally.
Listen or watch Dr. Nancy’s conversation with Mona to hear more of her journey from growing up in Calcutta to leading influential organizations that are empowering women worldwide and providing them with the agency to shape their destinies.
Learn more about Mona’s work at www.equalitynow.org.
Listen on Red Circle | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Watch on YouTube