As part of our week-long celebrations for International Women’s Day 2021 at Dublin City Brewing Co., we caught up with our production manager, Victoria Tyagunova.
We’re fortunate to have a team of incredibly talented women staff across the entire company, from the leadership table to the brewhouse. Here’s what Victoria had to say about what being a woman in craft beer means to her.
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
It’s a moment to pause and reflect on the particular challenges and nuances that women have to meet and overcome, not just in the employment world but in all spheres of life, and how we can work together to alleviate significant hurdles that remain.
What progress have you seen on gender equality within your field?
Fortunately, I think that brewing is a great example of how equality has improved in terms of perceptions and stereotypes in recent years within the field. t’s no longer invariably a bearded man in a checkered shirt that people imagine, and I’m delighted to be backing up that change in the public perception!
We would love to hear about a Women’s empowerment moment that inspired you?
For me, hands down it would be the whole career of Marie Curie. She was a physicist and chemist in an era when such a thing was almost unheard of for a woman, doing ground-breaking work that still resonates today. And what’s more, she was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize of any kind, the only woman to win a Nobel Prize twice, and the only person to win the Nobel Prize in two separate scientific fields. There couldn’t be anyone more incredible and inspirational in my eyes.
How can women better enable each other instead of compete? What needs to change in your opinion?
I feel like this question shouldn’t be limited to what one gender can do, but what can be achieved in harmony amongst everyone. The key to progress is collaboration, mutual respect and to strive for objectivity and awareness.
What do you think helped you get so far in your career? How can we mentor young girls to dream bigger?
I’ve been extremely lucky to find a vocation that suits me perfectly, a job that is far more than just a job. To dream bigger simply requires reminding yourself that the only thing holding you back is your self-belief!
