Resilience is defined in different ways, but is most often understood as an individual’s ability to adapt and cope with challenging situations, which may include, for example, stressful situations, crises, traumas, obstacles due to internal or external factors, etc. This ability may be conscious, but more often than not we are not even aware of it. As M. Neenan says: “People can survive the most difficult trials – some even thrive. Yet they may not be aware or clear about exactly how they have managed to overcome the challenges they have faced.” (Neenan, 2018)

When talking about “resilience” it is important to mention another concept called “self-efficacy”. This is a psychological concept by Canadian-American psychologist Albert Bandura. It refers to an individual’s beliefs about his or her ability to achieve goals, solve problems and have control over his or her own life. It refers to confidence in our own abilities and perseverance. Although these two concepts are different from each other, they reinforce each other significantly.

Resilience is conditioned by both innate dispositions and acquired and further developed skills:

✅ Factors of innate resilience

• Stable temperament
• High frustration tolerance and ability to handle stress
• Ability to adapt quickly to new conditions
• Positive mind-set
• Genetic predisposition to cope with stress

✅ Acquired resilience factors

• Ability to regulate emotions
• Developing self-knowledge
• Building flexibility and adaptability
• Developing different forms of self-care
• Use of social network support

👉 Let’s now look at the role resilience plays in overcoming gender inequalities and stereotypes and how it can promote equal opportunities.

In the context of gender stereotypes and inequality, resilience plays an equally important role in helping to confront and overcome discrimination, systemic inequalities, stereotypes and social injustice. As argued by A. Juncos and P. Bourbeau (Juncos and Bourbeau, 2022), resilience should be understood as a multidimensional concept that allows the study of the systemic nature of gender power relations and their prevalence and adaptation over time. According to the authors, it is important to move from an individualistic view of resilience to a relational focus. That is, not to see the concept of resilience in a narrow sense or just as a buzzword, but also as:

• a means to maintain the status quo;
• a means to facilitate adaptation to a shock or crisis;
• a dynamic process involving both endurance and transformation.

It is clear from the above that resilience is not just about individual stress management, but can also have a positive impact on systemic change. Specific examples of the positive impact of resilience on gender inequalities include the following situations:

• ✅ Resilience to discrimination

With greater resilience, we are better able to manage oppression and speak out against injustices, whatever forms of discrimination they may involve. We are better able to negotiate terms and seek support.

• ✅ Resistance to stereotypes

A concrete example is the stereotypes associated with women in leadership positions, who may traditionally be perceived as less assertive or less suited to leadership roles given the likely career breaks associated with childcare. Resilience helps to target stereotypes in these situations.

• ✅ The power of social support

Moving from individualism to community support allows for increased collective resilience and power to promote change.

• ✅ Normalising new roles and rewriting established norms

The penetration of women into formerly male-dominated professions promotes changes in social norms and experienced stereotypes. And as a result, the proportion of women in science, engineering, politics and business is increasing.

• ✅ Increasing political and social engagement

Greater resilience can also be associated with greater confidence to enter advocacy, activism or local politics, which helps to change systemic rules and promote gender equality.

👉 We already know a lot about the importance of building resilience and its positive impact on gender inequalities. But how specifically can we build resilience? Let’s now look at the key skills for developing and strengthening it.