Nollywood actress Monalisa Chinyere Chinda has dispelled the stereotype that women in powerful positions achieved their success by “sleeping their way” to the top.
Speaking at the Young African Women Congress (YAWC) Network event in Abuja, Nigeria, Monalisa addressed widespread misconceptions surrounding women’s achievements in professional settings.
She emphasized that hard work, dedication, and respect are the real foundations for attaining success.
“People think that for a woman to rise to the top, they must sleep their way through. It’s such a myth. I want us, every other lady here, and even the ones who are listening to us on social media.
“You don’t need to sleep your way. And this belief is one of the most damaging assumptions about women in the workplace. It minimises our hard work, our dedication and our talent. It tries to make it seem like our achievements aren’t earned,” she said.
Monalisa shared her personal journey, highlighting her transition from acting to publishing with the launch of Mona Lisa magazine.
She encouraged women to learn and develop skills in unfamiliar fields, stressing that they should adopt the habit of continuous self-improvement.
“As women, we don’t need shortcuts. We don’t need to play by someone else’s rules. Lay down your own rules. That is what we need, to find when we find ourselves in jobs that we don’t know anything about. Let’s learn in that job. Let’s work on ourselves, let’s develop our skills. It’s so critical,” she added.
The actress credited her accomplishments to discipline, hard work, and a strong sense of purpose, encouraging young women to dream boldly and remain determined, even when faced with setbacks.
The Young African Women Congress (YAWC) Network is a community of young women of African descent, both on the continent and in the diaspora, who seek self-empowerment and aspire to become leaders and agents of development across Africa.
At the core of YAWC’s mission is the mobilization of women at the grassroots level to promote leadership and drive development through advocacy, training, and impactful initiatives.
This year’s edition was held under the theme “Enhancing Women’s Economic Empowerment through Innovation and Technology.” It was held from October 27 to 31, 2024.