Meet Dr. Iris Mwanza, the multifaceted author, lawyer, and gender equality advocate whose debut legal thriller “The Lion’s Den” was longlisted for the prestigious Center for Fiction First Novel Prize.
Born and raised in Zambia, with an impressive academic background including degrees from Johns Hopkins, Cornell University, and the University of Zambia, Iris has channeled her experiences into a career spanning law, global health, and gender equality advocacy.
In this interview, Iris shares how witnessing inequality firsthand including seeing her brilliant aunts denied education while her father earned a PhD—fueled her passion for creating more equitable opportunities for women and girls worldwide.
She discusses the powerful themes in her novel, her experiences as the former Deputy Director of Women in Leadership at the Gates Foundation, and why the data consistently shows that investing in women yields higher dividends for entire communities.
Read the full interview below and discover Iris’s powerful advice for young women navigating leadership in challenging environments.
Hello Iris! Thank you for taking out the time to speak with us at LLA. In your own words: “Who is Iris, and what does she do?”
Hello and thank you for having me. I’m delighted to speak to you and your amazing community of leaders. I’m an author and a gender equality advocate and I’ve been lucky to have had successful careers as a lawyer, a global healthspecialist, and most recently as an advocate for gender equality and women’s leadership.
Excellent! What sparked your interest and passion for gender equality, women’s leadership and inclusion?
I’ve had a front row seat to the impact of inequality. In my father’s generation, only boys were educated and so my brilliant aunts had no access to formal education – there literally were no schools for girls. My aunts remained subsistence farmers their whole lives while all their brothers were educated and thrived professionally.
My father has a PhD in economics from Cornell University so while I’m tremendously proud of his achievements. I also think about the unrealized potential of my aunts. If we multiply this example by the hundreds of thousands of women and girls who are denied the opportunities they deserve, we can clearly see the scale of loss for our communities and countries.
You were born in Zambia and witnessed how women and girls are impacted by unfair and unequal opportunities. How did that shape you and the work you do today?
I always felt the need to give back which was one of the reasons I pivoted from corporate law to global health. My life and work experiences in Zambia and other countries around the world have given me proximity to the challenges and a depth of understanding that I bring into spaces where our voices are often missing.
It’s clear that if we don’t fix inequality, we’re not addressing the root cause of so many challenges – higher HIV infections in young women than young males; adolescent pregnancies; access to family planning information and contraception; domestic violence…. the list goes on and on. Progress in gender equality, including women in leadership, means greater prosperity for all, not just women. The research and the data consistently show that investing in women yields higher dividends for women, children and for men too.
Congratulations on your new novel “The Lion’s Den.”Let’s talk about that for a bit. What spurred you into writing it and why is its message important?
Thank you! Writing is my creative outlet; writing a novelwas my audacious goal; and writing this book was a labor of love for years. I wanted to write a thriller that would grab the reader’s imagination from beginning to end, but also tell a story about issues that I’m passionate about including gender equality and human rights.
The central character in your novel, Grace shows strength of leadership in addressing societal ills, injustice and segregation – what can women in particular learn about leading through challenging situations?
Grace and the other women in the book have to find their way over, under, around or through the political, religious, patriarchal and legal systems that try to keep them down. Most of the characters are more subtle than Grace, but the women are strong and often quietly subversive. Not Grace –she’s very clear, focused and will go to the ends of the earth to get justice for her client Bessy.
We all know people like Grace and can draw inspiration from them. And we can all elevate and support each other. It’s easy to ignore one person, but when we band together, we’re powerful and can demand to be treated equality and fairly in the workplace,and in the home.
Your novel is set in Zambia, on the African continent and one known for having a reputation as being authoritarian, and sometimes draconian – what are your thoughts on women especially navigating these specific challenges in often patriarchal and biased cultures?
I live in the US and now more than ever, it’s clear that this isn’t just an African phenomenon. This could be a long answer but the short version is that the desire to have and maintain power and privilege is universal. In all of history, neither has been given up without a fight, and this is true despite the fact that an open and inclusive society benefits many more people. So the answer is, it depends; it may be more or less depending on your circumstances.
Whatever the case, we all have something to give – time, money, advocacy, activism, advocacy, writing and being the best example we can be as a mum, child, sister, aunty, friend, employee, leader. Dismantling these systems requires all of us to share our talents and keep pushing for progress. I’m a big believer in the power of women’s groups and organizations as change agents.
Your novel was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, an honor that celebrates outstanding debut novels – how did you feel about such an incredible feat?
As a first time author, I didn’t know if my work would be published, much less recognized. It’s a great honor and motivator to keep writing. I also hope it inspires other African women to write, we have many more of our stories that still need to be told.
As an international development professional and the former Deputy Director of Women in Leadership at the Gates Foundation, why is it important for women to be represented in all fields and sectors? Why is women in leadership an essential part of the world’s development?
The data shows that even in spaces dominated by women like health, only about 25% of women are in leadership positions. It’s a fundamental truth that when half your talentis excluded from leadership and decision-making positions, then villages, towns, companies and countries aren’t getting the best outcomes.
If logic isn’t enough to sway folks, the Nobel prize winning economist Esther Duflo (et al) demonstrated through her research in India that women leaders make more socially conscious policy decisions which resulted in better development outcomes for the community. Turns out that inclusion is not only the right thing to do, but also the smart thing to do.
In a historical first, Namibia has its first female President, Vice-President and Speaker of the National Assembly. In your opinion, what signal do you think this sends for aspiring women leaders in Africa and the world at large?
It’s inspirational for all women leaders across the globe. Namibia is an example of how women can use their power to support and elevate other women, and while it’s early days, I know this country will be better for it.
If you could change one thing in the world, what would that be, and why?
Willful ignorance. Openness and curiosity means we can learn about other people, cultures and belief systems. Knowledge and understanding is an antidote todiscrimination and hatred.
There are many young women and girls reading this, grappling with what it means to lead in a world that doesn’t always give them access or opportunity. What words of advice would you share?
There are systems in place that make it so much harder for women and girls than for men and boys, so we need to recognize that these challenges are real and it’s not a level playing field. People who are sexist, racist, classist etc. will try to make it about you – your performance or abilities not being up to standard – but reject any narrative that says you’re not good enough.
Find and engage mentors, coaches and champions, and leverage women’s groups who can help you navigate through your career.
And lastly, surround yourself with like-minded people who will support your life choices. Sometimes it means leaving toxic environments or pivoting careers – bide your time if you need to – but activate a plan to navigate into a place and space where you can thrive.
