We Need More Female Leaders and Advocates
“There is a special place in hell for women who do not help each other” –Madeleine Albright (Former Secretary of State)
If you have been a follower of my blog, you can recognize that I am a strong believer in civil rights and individuality. My friends know how passionate I can be when the line of justice gets crossed. Sometimes shows like “Law and Order: SVU” aren’t depicted as a true story, can get me upset because these issues do arise in our society. Although these stories aren’t real, they are inspired. And somewhere in our world, these kinds of injustice do happen. I am a supporter of gender equality and women empowerment, pushing women to get out of their comfort levels and feel more secure. I like to discuss about these issues because I understand that a lot of women struggle with insecurity.
Now that it’s 2014, we assume that the feminist society is progressing with more leaders inspiring the generation after to value individuality and be successful in the professional world. Although we (I associate myself as apart of this group) are progressing, why aren’t women making it to the top of any professional anywhere in the world? Numbers shows that we have not moved since 2002. From sectors like non-profit that are geared towards women, top executives are still out-numbered by men. Women are only leading these 20% of these organizations.
How do we balance personal success and personal fulfillment? Why is there an ultimatum between family and career? What are some of the message we can tell society, our fellow coworkers, our daughters and ourselves?
Women systematically underestimate themselves. Women do not negotiate, we settle because we believe this is what we deserve. When we ask women, why do they deserve this position, they would say they are very fortunate for this opportunity and they are a hard worker, But when you as a man, they would say they are the best at what they are doing and they deserve it simply based on their capability to get the job done.
Women learn these behaviors and reinforcements through each other. It is about time we create space for ourselves and expand our qualities into the world without self-doubt. We are the owners of our bodies, our actions and most importantly our voices. If half of our companies and corporations were to be run by women it would be a better world.