Mária Jakabová is a committed feminist and expert on diversity, equity, and inclusion. She helps companies design inclusive workplaces and also leads courses on inclusive leadership at the Mendel University in Brno. She’s a fierce advocate for democracy, currently creating the first international association of Slovak women to support Slovak women active in the public sector. In this interview, Mária reflects on the formidable women in her family and other role models who inspired her lifelong fight for gender equality and democracy.
When I say a strong woman, who comes to your mind?
Definitely the women in my family. My mum always sets up her own rules, stands up for what is right and protects others. My maternal grandma survived the war, communism and raised five children pretty much on her own because my grandpa worked away from home. My paternal grandma was also a strong and fierceful woman who broke many stereotypes. She was enterprising and was able to take care of her family financially.
That’s a lot of strong women in one family!
That’s true! Another person who comes to my mind is my best friend Iveta, who did an important PhD. research in molecular biology, works in Austria as one of the lead surgeons in abdominal surgery and is a mum of a young girl. Iveta completely rewrites what is believed to be possible for women who are mums in terms of their career.
You’re blessed to have been surrounded by so many role models.
Yes, I feel very privilidged. Looking at what women are capable of doing in spite of all the hardships, I wonder why we are considered to be a weaker gender. I think it’s a huge patriarchy scam. We are expected to be strong enough to carry on all those burdens, like family, pregnancy, childbirth, sexual assaults, and discrimination. And at the same time we are expected to make the impression of gentle fragile flowers because otherwise we wouldn’t be feminine enough. Such bullshit.
This is an interesting paradox! Can you tell me more about the type of background you grew up in?
My parents both came from very humble backgrounds and had to work incredibly hard to achieve everything they have now. They taught me a lot about responsibility, independence and gratitude, as well as justice, fair play and integrity. I think my childhood was great. I spent a lot of time outdoors because we hiked in the Slovak mountains. But it also wasn’t always easy.
Why?
I think I was always expected to be something special. Not only because I was the only girl in my family surrounded by my brother and thirteen cousins, but also because I almost died when I was born. I had a heart issue, underwent a heart surgery when I was 3 months old and doctors didn’t really believe I would survive. My parents spent about 4 years of my life fighting for me.
That must have been tough for them.
Yes, I can’t even imagine that. But my parents are very strong people and they made it. My brother and I were expected to work hard, have good results at school and do everything possible to be the best. I was nothing like a fragile gentle small girl but more of a fearless, independent and stubborn girl.
Who influenced you the most in your teenage years?
For sure some of my high school teachers, who used to underestimate me and say things like “You will never get to study journalism at the university. Your writing is too complicated.”
Reminds me of my two elderly female Czech teachers who also didn’t see any potential in me. It’s so funny to see them now and realize that I made it with my writing.
I pretty much hated high school. I went to an 8-year grammar school and didn’t fit in. I always had an issue with authorities, especially if I was expected to respect someone just because of their position and not because of their accomplishments. Because I couldn’t fully express my potential at school, I played the piano, went to art classes, had two swimming training per week, and went to a language school.
Wasn’t there a single inspiring teacher in your high school?
Not really. The only person who influenced me in my teenage years was our family friend, Maria. She was a psychologist and we talked for hours, spending a lot of free time together on family trips and vacations. She was an amazing person. Very sadly, she passed away a few years ago and I miss her very much. There was also my godmother who was my cheerleader throughout my whole life, especially during my rebellious teenage years. When she was in her 50ties, she moved abroad, learned a new language and started a new life from scratch. What an inspiration!
After graduating from high school, you moved to the Czech Republic to study Gender studies and Media and Communication at Masaryk University. How was your study experience compared to high school?
Amazingly different! I loved my university studies. Depth and intersectionality of gender studies and my university lectures there – it was such an inspiration. I also enjoyed journalism and later on media studies during my Master’s degree. I finally felt like I found the right environment providing me knowledge, space for critical thinking and self-realization.
After graduation, you worked shortly in China and Slovakia and then returned to Czechia and joined PPG Industries and then Thermo Fisher Scientific. How did you integrate DE&I (diversity, equity and Inclusion) into these corporate companies?
I led several employee resource groups, which were supposed to shape the company culture from down to the top and empower employees to take action. At PPG, it was a group focused on women’s development, while at Thermo Fisher Scientific, we had a more umbrella organization focusing also on cross-generational cooperation, people with handicaps or LQBTQ+ rights. From my experience, DE&I is a good concept but needs to be tailored to the local environment. Many times companies create strategies based on US metrics, which do not reflect European results.
Were your bosses and colleagues supportive of these strategies?
Yes! Over the years, I’ve worked with a number of great women and men who are passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion. While working for PPG, I was offered to teach a university course on leadership and DE&I by Martina Rašticová, Head of department of management at the Faculty of Business and Economics at Mendel University. At Thermo Fisher Scientific, I was lucky to work with HR manager Renata Millerová who enabled me to lead the local DE&I employee group and create a local DE&I strategy.
Many corporations, which previously supported DEI strategies, are rolling back DEI programs. Why? Was it all brainwashing?
Yes, there are companies which have stopped funding. Was it brainwashing or a PR performance? Maybe. There are also companies, who didn’t but are using a different naming for such activities, so it is not, in their own words, “controversial”. And there are still companies, who are standing firmly behind their values, like Microsoft. It would not be fair to blame only the US administration, it is also because some DE&I strategies were just brainwashing as you said and people saw it and it sadly hurt the cause. I am convinced that the company, who chickens out now, will deal with terrible consequences and only time will tell when. But that time will come, I’m sure.
What barriers did you encounter in your work?
One thing that has always irritated me is that gender equality is seen as a female topic, like it has nothing to do with men. But diversity, equality and inclusion is a social issue affecting all genders. Instead of mentoring only women professionals, let’s also mentor male professionals on human rights, emotional intelligence, active listening and empathy. Let’s stop putting all that burden on female shoulders. All those slogans like “Females can do anything” drive me crazy.
You’re right about that. It’s everyone’s business.
We need men actively fighting, not just supporting this cause. For example, you can mentor a woman for years, she can be a fucking badass but if she comes across glass ceiling, that’s it. Let’s do gender mainstreaming (note: integrating a gender perspective into all policies, programs and projects). I mean, if countries like Iceland can do it, why does Czechia and Slovakia need to be the exception? Let’s do less of those fancy expensive conferences, never ending panels and podcasts and more of impactful changes, laws and quotas. Less talking, more doing and we can get there.
Speaking of doing, you and Petra Jankovičová launched a new division of the Triad agency in July 2025 to enable companies to communicate their values effectively, impactfully and boldly. What is your business about?
Strong culture and values are inevitable for each company to sustain the business. Current society is divided enough. We need to learn how to communicate our values, culture and uniqueness, so it is not just brainwashing and it is not based on ‘us and them’ polarization. We are all unique and that’s what connects us all: our uniqueness. We are the first Czech-Slovak agency combining experts from marketing, communication and advertising with expertise in diversity, equity and culture.
Besides your DEI work, you’ve also been helping Bez mýtu (former Bez trestu), an NGO that debunks myths around domestic and sexual violence. What did you learn about sexual violence that really shocked you?
That these myths, stereotypes and trivialization of sexual and domestic violence is something which commonly occurs in the Czech jurisdiction and court verdicts and spreads throughout the whole legal proceedings. We are all, including legal authorities, impacted by our biases and assumptions. For those survivors, the whole investigation and trial is many times as traumatizing as the crime itself, if not more.
Last but not least you are also a vocal advocate for democracy in Slovakia. How did you get to this?
Seeing the decline of democracy in my home country, I decided to get more involved and speak more openly about protecting democratic values. I found a group of Slovak women who live abroad and organize protests, including Adéla Klepáková, Co-chair of Prague cafe, which connects Slovaks living not only in the Czech Republic. We’re currently building the first ever international association of Slovak women to support Slovak women active in the public sector.
Which Slovak woman do you admire the most?
Definitely our first Slovak female president, Zuzana Čaputová. The combination of her leadership, emotional intelligence and companionship is simply unique. Sometimes, when I feel overwhelmed I remind myself of everything she had to go through as a president and it gives me strength and courage. I really hope she is not going to be the only example of such a leader in Slovakia. That’s also why we’re launching the association. We really want other women to take their rightful place in the public sector.