Watching the traffic on LinkedIn this week with many celebrating International Women’s Day has been both uplifting and, frankly, depressing. Two emotions experienced in equal measure.
So many posts are highlighting women that have made a difference. Grandmothers, Moms, sisters, daughters, colleagues, old bosses, new bosses and every woman a guy …or woman… has ever known. It’s been lovely to see. I have been a recipient of the kudos. IT IS lovely, and IT IS appreciated.
What’s not appreciated are the disingenuous attempts by some who only step up and speak up once a year. Maybe their company has a program to highlight women or diversity or some ego-driven reason.
What I do know is what every woman I know has said to me in the past week: It’s not appreciated. It’s not welcome. It’s not ok.
But Hala, I can hear you say. If I don’t say anything in support of women, I am flagged as unsupportive, and if I do support women, you say, how come and why now? I can’t win!
Ok, mostly men have said that to me. But if you think I am biased, I will say that many women exhibit this same behaviour.
Here’s my question: Where are you for the other 364 days of the year?
Where are you when your female colleagues are facing harassment/bias/misogyny/racism/domestic violence?
Where are you when her points in a meeting are ignored only to be repeated back to HER at the end of the meeting without acknowledging her contribution?
Where are you when a colleague rolls his/her eyes when a woman speaks up, stands up or walks out of a room because she was disrespected?
Where are you when she is fired for holding to her purpose, values and ethical standards?
Where are you when women in your organisation come and ask to sponsor an event run by women for women?
Where are you when the company you work for stands up at every opportunity and says, “We want to hire more women!” but have not one single female leader on their executive team, let alone in a revenue-generating position?*
I could keep going on, but every woman I know, and I bet a few good men as well, know what I am on about.
Here’s a tip if there is confusion, hold a round table with female colleagues and ask them what micro-aggressive and biased behaviours manifest themselves in daily interactions? And if you are brave, what manifests in your daily interactions?
Before we go and jump on the International Women’s Day bandwagon on the one day in 365, let’s ask, “What have I done in the past 364 days of the year to support a woman in my day-to-day interactions?”. And make it a woman that is NOT related to you.
The immortal words of Maya Angelou come to mind: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better”.
We can all do better.
x Hala
*refers to companies that only have women in senior executive roles for HR, Marketing or Operations – what are termed in many industries as “supporting” company functions, not revenue-generating functions.
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