Ladies and gentlemen. Today I stand before you to talk about one of, perhaps the most, pressing matters of our time. It is something which touches us all, whether you are male or female, it effects the dynamics in each and every household and hence the lives of our new young generations we are bringing into this world. Over the past century many measures have been taken to try and combat this problem, to bring us out of the dark ages. Sure, we have achieved a lot, no one can say that we are still at the same cross-roads we were stuck at in the beginning of the 20th century but there is still a long way to go. We may parade around one day out of the year in our pink blouses flaunting our femininity, but how much difference does having an International Women’s Day really make to the climate in the work place, and most specifically when it comes to those top-dog positions?
For a long time now, to try and compete with men for an open vacancy in a local business we have had to change how we act, we have had to fight, but seemingly to little avail if you consider the most recent statistics. It is a man’s world, there’s no denying, but should we really be blaming men for our lack of success when it comes to doing well in cooperate enterprises? Positions of authority are held by men in overwhelming disproportion, and why is this? Some think we need to start looking at this problem from a different perspective. It is not so much that women are being rejected or jousted from top positions, but rather that they lack something which men seem to have so inherently. That of self-belief. Men are much more likely to negotiate their first salaries and to promote themselves and really push for the next promotion. This self-determination and feeling of having the right to a good salary and the best positions, often referred to as arrogance, is something that the fairer sex, on the whole, seem to lack. Women may dominate the education and certain care sectors of society but if you look at who’s heading these institutes you will still find a huge proportion of men. So do we need to be as ruthless as men to achieve our end?
Again, not so much. Women have attributes and communication skills which can be utilised in a business setting and are not to be just left aside as we try and butch ourselves up. We need to change the climate of business and politics, not change the individual. The values, perspectives and thought processes of women are not valued in the business and political world. These systems are geared toward male thinking and behaviour and in order for a woman to succeed in these systems, they must act more like a man. This is not what we need to be promoting.
And where does our International Women’s Day come into it? It has been observed since the early 1900’s as women began urging for voting rights. It has grown to become a global day of recognition and celebration across developed and developing countries alike. It is now an official holiday in 27 countries including Cuba, Russia and Afghanistan. Since the beginning of the 21st century, we have seen a shift in terms of society’s thoughts towards women’s equality and emancipation but it leaves a long way to go still.
Will we ever achieve equality if we continue to mould women to fit into a man’s world? It’s disheartening to see that the advice to women continues to be the view that only assertive, selfish, pushy, hard-hearted people get to the top. And also that getting to the top is the most important thing anyone can achieve in life. Perhaps we should be looking instead at how to change society and the work environment to accommodate the skills and qualities of women just as they are.