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Pioneer for women in leadership talks gender equity in the ‘peculiar profession’ of humanitarian aid
“It’s a peculiar profession,” Margareta Wahlström says, when asked about her life as a humanitarian aid worker. Wahlström has worked in crisis situations from Vietnam to Cambodia to Afghanistan, and she held high-level positions at both the United Nations and the Swedish Red Cross. Along with a stressful work culture that often rewards a certain workaholic humanitarian “cowboy” mentality, the “peculiarities” of humanitarian work also means that women are less likely to reach decision-making positions than men. Thanks in part to Wahlström, that is changing. Her consistent advocacy for gender equity is one reason she was recently awarded The Henry Dunant Medal, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement’s highest honor.
