It was never my intention to be an advocate. It was never my intention to be a feminist, and nor was it my intention to run a Leadership program for Women. And yet here I am.
A gender advocate, a feminist, and founder of the award-winning program Women at Work (not to mention the author of a book to help women navigate a male-dominated leadership landscape - The Gender Penalty, but I digress…)
I always thought women could look after themselves. I thought the hard work of picketing and marching and striking was over. That we had fought for equal rights, and won. And we did. Sort of.
Whilst we have come along in leaps and bounds in terms of women's rights in society (at least in the Western World); we also have a way to go for the cultural norms to catch up. And part of those norms are the messages we send girls and women about how to fix themselves in order to get ahead.
That’s why I designed my Women at Work program.
I didn’t want to talk about helping women build confidence, without also helping them understand how society continues to reinforce a lack of confidence in women, and how we can break this cycle for other women.
I didn’t want to talk about how to speak like a leader, without also addressing the potential backlash that might occur if you are viewed as ‘too direct’, ‘too blunt’ or ‘too aggressive’. (And of course, why you’re more likely to be given this feedback in the first place.)
And I definitely didn’t want to talk to women about shouldering the burden of fixing themselves, OR the broken system, without equipping them with strategies to enrol male allies. Otherwise, what’s the point?
Without a balanced approach to both helping women navigate the current play, AND changing the game for good, I’m at risk of deepening the divide. And the only divide I want to deepen is the one between me and that second bowl of ice-cream 😜.
So if you’re a woman (or know a woman) who is genuinely interested in not only building strategies for how to accelerate your career in a predominately male-led industry, but also wanting to challenge society’s status quo, then perhaps it’s time to consider the Women at Work program.
