On the 8th of March it is International Women’s Day, I think it is a great thing that we women get to have a day that does not only apply to those of us that have had children ie Mother’s Day.
Yes we have only been a respected part of the workforce since the 1960’s. Yes, there were lots of women working during WW2 but that was out of necessity not because they wanted a career. When the war ended, the 1950’s brought the most prosperous decade in the history of the UK. So it was only in the 60’s and with the Women’s Liberation Movement that made the idea of having a career a viable option.
OK, enough with the history lesson. I do think that since we have not been out of the home for enough generations, it impacts the way we conduct ourselves in the workplace. Have you ever had a female boss that was much more demanding than a male one in the same position? I bet you have as a lot of time women don’t play nice with each other at work.
I think we (women) hold ourselves back. We don’t value what we do as much as men value their skills. Which might be part of the reason that we earn lower salaries, we just don’t have the confidence to ask for the big bucks.
I bet you are shaking your head, but have a look at Etsy, the website where very talented, crafty people sell their wares. Most of the sellers are women, who are hoping to supplement their income. These women especially the ones that make jewellery, do not charge for the time it takes to make the item. How do I know this? I worked as jewellery production manager for years and before you price an item you must time how long it take to make said item. These ladies are probably not even getting back the cost of the materials since they are probably paying retail for their basic components.
We need to learn how to promote and be proud of the tremendous amount of skills we have, so many of them we take for granted. I think women need to watch each other’s backs more, not stab them in the back. There are so many things that we are better at than men, such as multitasking. I am not being down on men but I do think we need to be kinder to other women.
We are a very smart, talented bunch and if we learned to play nice, we might be able to rule the work place.
My last job had about 6 women and one male boss, it looked like they all wanted to please him instead of doing a good job. I was focused on the job and they didn’t like me, feeling threatened in their incompetence. Instead of joining forces it was a backstabbing festival. Men are less drama… Sad but true.