Sex has been on my mind lately. (Get yours out of the gutter, gentle reader.)
My abject fascination this past month with the gender divide stems from a recent market share analysis for a key part of our business. The target? The single mom. The winning strategy proposed to target said single mother, resolutely served up by the business team? Motorsports sponsorships.
At the core of this is a question of money and growth. We know, we know, we know, we know, we know. The data is right there under our noses, and the numbers are more significant each time we check them. I can’t speak fluently when it comes to motorsports demographics, but we know where the opportunities rest for us to ride to a new wave of revenue. And yet, something seemingly steps in our way when it comes to taking the role and influence of women seriously, whether as colleagues or consumers. We either paint everything a shade of Pepto Bismol, miss the opportunity all together, or get it completely wrong by assuming all women—even single moms—are unwavering supporters of men’s hobbies and interests. None of these are viable solutions for sustained growth.
And while we applaud the Ledbetter law and await our full $1, it’s way too easy for women to cast a sole, accusing finger in the direction of men. The barriers don’t solely rest with my male colleagues, though more men would do well to try and comprehend the realities of gender inequity.
No, I think the greatest barrier facing women in the U.S. workplace is women. We have our occasional role models, but collectively we are, without a doubt, our own worst enemies.
Just look at how we show up—or don’t: We don’t take the opportunity to challenge the strategic thinking behind current decisions, as if we’re waiting for permission to speak. We bring forward the mighty “mean girls” spirit, working way too hard to form cliques and win popularity contests while our numbers dwindle. We forget how to truly express ourselves, our insecurities shining through as we fail again and again to interpret a company dress code. Camisoles, tube tops, clear plastic platform shoes, Wonderbras, cleavage, flip flops, exposed underwear, and “business suits” from Victoria’s Secret do nothing to help with our credibility among our peers, female or male. I once heard a colleague advising a new hire that our office is a great place to hook up with women. Seriously, what more can we expect if we keep showing up for work like it’s happy hour?
Ladies, we perpetuate the very stereotypes that keep us from the prize, individually and in the spirit of growth. We need the healthier mindset about women in the workplace to begin with ourselves. Nothing will substantially improve, we won’t grow and prosper, and the business will fade if we don’t crack the code on this. And we can’t hold our male colleagues to higher expectations without holding ourselves to the same—or even more.
We know, we know, we know, we know, we know.
If you’re going to let one stupid prick ruin your life, you’re not the girl I thought you were. —Legally Blonde (2001)
Well said. And, just wondering, who said it was okay to call each other 'girls' again? Talk about putting ourselves in a one (two, three, four???) down position from our male counterparts. The only time we call men boys is when we refer to the old boys club. Do you ever hear men call each other boys?
Our words have equity. We need to be careful about what our words are really conveying.
Posted by: Regina Barr | June 17, 2009 at 06:35 AM