Over at my other business, we were talking about our upcoming blog series — Diary of a Working Mum. That series is a humorous look at trying to keep all the balls up in the air. We had a lot of fun regaling each other with stories of what happens when those balls drop (as they do from time to time).
It was fun, but once we looked up at our whiteboard, I saw a whole heap of stuff that makes it look a whole lot less funny. We were looking at how does a person (usually the woman) get back into the workforce after a break (short or extended).
There were three aspects that we looked at:
- Tactical (that is, actually getting a job)
- Logistical
- School drop offs
- After school care and activities
- School holidays
- Dealing with sick kids
- Balancing work with assemblies, cake stalls, sports days
- After hours drinks, meetings, weekend retreats
- Balancing career development/study with limited available time
- Being fully present at work (and home)
- Emotional
- Expectations of partner, co workers, other mums, family etc
- Guilt
And that’s before you add in gender bias, gender inequality, glass ceilings, wage disparity .. The list goes on.
It’s International Women’s Day on the 8th March this year, and I would have liked to have said that things are getting easier on this front, but really managing kids and a job remains a juggle and not a particularly easy one.
I have two young girls, and I want them to know that they can do anything that they want in the world. I would like to reassure them that if they choose to have a family and a career, then that is something that is manageable. But the reality is that at the moment it is hard. How hard it is goes a long way to explaining the lack of female leaders.
So, reading Elizabeth Broderick’s piece for McKinsey on championing gender equality in Australia was refreshing. Elizabeth knows something about gender inequality, in her role as Sex Discrimination Commissioner.
What I loved about this article was her approach:
“This is not about men speaking for women or “saving” them. This is about men standing up beside women and saying, “The promotion of gender equality in Australia, and the world, is everyone’s business.” It should not sit on the shoulders of women alone. It’s about men accepting responsibility to create change..”
Indeed!
It shouldn’t be a “women’s issue” because it’s not. Getting this right shouldn’t be about the private struggles of women who wish to contribute financially to their family and use their talents and education and skills and expertise.
Elizabeth makes the point that some of the inaction is not for lack of wanting change, but rather because people just don’t know what to do. Taking small, practical and pragmatic steps to change is the start.
As Elizabeth says: “..disrupting the status quo requires courageous leadership..”
The article is well worth the read. I particularly love the practical examples (such as the pledge) that the group have taken on and made happen.
If you are wanting to make change but just don’t know how, read the article and think if there is anything you could do to apply it to your personal situation or organisation. And if you make change, I would love to hear from you.
Until next week, happy reading.
“on my soapbox”, gender bias, Elizabeth Broderick, International Women’s Day
