Against All Odds: How To Break Through Gendered Ceilings, Shared By Baroness Scotland

The first female to have ever been at the helm of the Commonwealth, Secretary- General Baroness Scotland, has been in her post for six years, which provides an opportunity to reflect on a ground-breaking figure whose aim is to bring “wealth” back into the Commonwealth, making it more inclusive, open and fair... that is, common.

The sixth ever Secretary-General, Baroness Patricia Scotland, is female, and a black female – the ceiling has been broken, just as when she first entered the bar and went on to become a QC.

When Baroness Scotland entered the legal profession— which, at the time, was 93% male, white and protestant— the odds were already heavily stacked against her.

Here she was: female, black, catholic, educated at state run schools in Walthamstow, in the deprived East End of London, and then Chelmsford College. Despite ignored career advice to get a job in a supermarket and a warning from a professor against studying for a law degree as a black woman, she ploughed ahead, and through diligence and determination was admitted to the bar in 1977.

As she puts it, “when people told me that I should try something else, something less ambitious, and when at the time there were no options for people like me. Well, then, if all the options are barred to you, why not try for your passion for the thing you love?”

Self-belief at an early age.

So how did she do it? The key was utter self-belief. This was value was almost mandatory in her sizeable close-knit family, who had coined names for the children: her seven brothers were known as “The Magnificent Seven” and the sisters were called the “stars” of the family. “Plus, being 10th in a pack out of 12 meant I could never complain… everyone else had seen worse,” she tells me.

Her father wanted each of his 12 children to find their talent and pursue it with a passion, such that when her brother came home with a score of 99% on a test, that minus-one point was discussed and that inquiry with the teachers led to 100% being awarded.

There was an inner belief within this tight family unit, which nestled in the heart of the East End of London, that they could do anything, even though they had migrated to England during the Windrush era at a time when signs could still be outside of businesses and accommodation stating, “No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs.”

“Children will give you exactly what you expect of them, so set your expectations high. Yes, academic performance, was very important to my father, and yet my mother saw that as a given and would ask – What have you done for someone else, today? Who have you helped? What have you done to make the world a better place?”

Women supporting women

Whether becoming, at the time, the youngest QC since Pitt the Younger in the 1800s and the first black female QC, or the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Baroness Scotland’s life and career has always been about breaking ceilings.

Ironically, the journey to become Secretary-General began when she was advocating on the behalf of another potential candidate. A few key figures she approached asked her why she was not going for the role herself, which set her on the ambitious path she was to follow. This group included the previous the Prime Minister of Antigua Baldwin Spencer, the then PM of Barbados, Freundel Stuart alongside his political opponent at the time and leader of the opposition Mia Mottley. The Baroness also had the backing of Roosevelt Skerrit, the Prime Minister of her tiny home island of Dominica, with a population of just 72,000.

It was in this context that a small group of women came together— a magical team—who dedicated themselves to lobbying each and every nation of the Commonwealth on her behalf. Dominica, despite its sparse resources, also sent their High Commissioner to lobby with the SG Baroness in New York and at other high-profile events.

This initial supporting gang sprang from the Caribbean’s rich pool of female leaders. They included people such as experienced civil servant Teresa Marshall and deputy Secretary-General of CARICOM and Barbadian Diplomat, Lolita Applewhaite, alongside her sister Dr. Lucretia Gabriel based in Trinidad and Tobago. “So, it was a bunch of women. You know, five, six women with no money, but a lot of passion, a lot of heart.”

There are perhaps a few reasons why she won. Importantly, she listened to what the Commonwealth nations wanted. This intense listening led to a distillation, and the creation of a pathway, built on the “common” within the Commonwealth, as well as her strong values. “Human rights and justice are in my core. My purpose was clear – I wanted to be a voice for the voiceless.”

Everything starts with you

This view of the world was shaped as early as six years old. She tells me: “when I saw images from South Africa of violence and oppression, I asked my father why black people were being shot and my father directly asked me back, what I was going to do about it.”

“’I am six, Daddy’ I replied, to which he said ‘yes, but everything starts with you. We cannot blame or point, we take responsibility and do something.’”

Baroness Scotland loves fruit with a passion, but in response to what she saw as a young girl, she decided to never eat fruit sourced from South Africa again. That alone reminded her of the sacrifice it would take to stand up for what was right and what she believed in and gave her the prime opportunity to make others aware. “After all,” she says, “I cannot control the actions of others, but I can control my own.”

However, there was one occasion that still weighs heavy on her mind. In order to eat one delicious looking nectarine, she chose not to ask the origin, and that moment on the lips was not worth the guilt she has felt in her consciousness for over half a century. What did this moment teach her? Not to be afraid to ask the tough questions.

Aiming high as a young barrister

Baroness Scotland’s career as a young barrister saw her take on and win a series of high profile enquiries, often up against much older and more experienced lawyers which resulted in her building a high reputation within the profession. She recalls a case at the Old Bailey when she was called to see the judge afterwards, “I thought I’d been called in as I’d been very robust in my behavior in court. I was only around 27 and new to the system. But when I was called into to see the judge instead he complemented me. I was astounded.”

She was fortunate enough to catch the attention of fantastic judges like Johan Stein, once a member of the ANC, who had come to the UK to practice law. He and many others gave her the personal support and encouragement that she could become a QC much earlier that she ever believed possible.

Shared humanity

She describes the Guyanese Elections as a key highlight of her last six years as Secretary General (the term was extended due to the Covid pandemic). This was a very difficult five months where it was absolutely critical to keep both parties engaged during and after the election, to keep them committed to the values of the charter and Commonwealth.

“This is where listening and the ultimate objective of the leaders had to be supported over and above the pressure they were under to usurp power with immediacy,” she tells me. “We supported both Presidents; Ali and Granger, to stand firm for peace and democracy. That required hearing the pressure, pain and anger in their words, whilst listening to the ultimate desire for peace.” So whilst there was a lot of pressure upon them to take power and ignore the call for free and fair elections until the very end, they took the moral high road, despite the patience and risk entailed.

Scotland believes that simple shared humanity drives her. As she puts it, “Within our 54 Nations and in humanity, our DNA is 99.9% common, so we are not going to destroy everything by focusing on the 0.1%. We should work out common solutions that arise from our common problems.”

For Baroness Scotland, the pandemic was a prime example of this. As soon as the crisis hit, a virtual meeting was held with all the health ministers across the Commonwealth to create a Covid task force, which shared vital information and the real time lessons people where learning as the pandemic spread, as well as talent, medicine and resources. She tells me that this collaborative approach will also be vital to tackle the vast challenge of climate change, which is at code red.

The values of the Commonwealth were clearly stated by the Queen in 1953. That it would not be built on the old empire, but on the best qualities of man: friendship, integrity, justice and for the equality of all races. Such that when Nehru was asked why India was joining, he said, it was “to bring and get a touch of healing” to all five regions and 54 countries.

“We have a memorandum of understanding with 50+ nations now, and our aim is ensuring everyone is included,” she explains. Even those who had left the Commonwealth, like the Maldives and The Gambia have returned, and the republics, of which there are 30, are very much in the fold (despite widespread belief). There are even those who are not part of the Commonwealth, without the historic links of many member states, who wish to join.

“There are always those who wish to derail you; those who say your meetings should be cancelled because no one will attend; those who are waiting for you to crash and burn. It is at those times that you need to get up and fight, look for the good, know that you are not powerless but actually, power FULL.

“There is a common belief that we will only learn from the pain, but my intention is to learn from joy. “

Hopeful for women in leadership

How then has Baroness Scotland found the drive and the passion to keep going through such a lengthy career? “The reason I think I survived is because of never been scared of failing but I’ve always been terrified of not trying.”

And is she hopeful for the future of women in international leadership?

“Yes, just look at where are compared with a few decades ago! We've now got a phenomenal group of women demonstrating leadership internationally. There is Amina Mohammed (UN Deputy Secretary General) in New York, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (Director general of the World Trade Organization), Mia Mottely in Barbados. We have Louise Mushikiwabo at the Francophonie and Rebeca Grynspan at UNCTAD and all of us know Christiana Figueres, (former CEO of the UNFCCC which runs the UN Climate process through COPs). There's a whole gang of us.”

“We have today more women in leadership around the world, demonstrating just how effective they are. Yes they accuse us, attack us, and judge us on a different platform to the way they judge any man, but we are here, and we are delivering.”

“To be the Secretary-General has been the greatest honor of my life, it brings together so many elements from across my work and career into one place. Whether law and human rights, women and girls, or small states and climate change. It is an awesome responsibility and privilege to be able to dedicate myself to the needs of Commonwealth member countries and their citizens.”