by Solange Lopes | Mar 15, 2015 | Career |
Photo credit: https://pratnala.wordpress.com
I had a pretty heated discussion with a friend of mine last Sunday. When I sent her my usual “Happy Women’s Day” emphatic message, the cold response I got left me stunned. “I don’t celebrate Women’s Day”, she coldly replied. “It’s a myth, just another way to to victimize ourselves and celebrate the fact we have so much left to do.” Huh? She wasn’t the only one either, a few of the women in our group joined in unison, declaring this whole gender equality thing to be just a myth, another way to play the gender card and feel forever victimized.
As an outspoken feminist and women’s rights advocate, I was stunned. One because I could never imagine anyone thinking of gender equality as a myth, with all the progress accomplished so far for and by women int he last 20 years. Second, because this was my friend. A woman I grew up with, with whom we discussed our own mothers’ struggles, our respective fathers not keeping up their promises and being strong presences in our lives, and the resulting effects this is still having on us. How could you not wholeheartedly, fully support this?
Once I got past the initial shock, came the anger, then the dismissal. Could gender equality be a myth? Should we stop associating the concepts of sex and equality? Should we just consider work to be work, regardless of the sex of the worker? Is pop star Beyonce right in her essay entitled “Gender Equality is a Myth“?
We left it alone for a while, and I hope someday soon we can pick up the conversation where we left it off. For now, I can’t help but wonder:
Have we been missing the mark somewhere all along?
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Mar 15, 2015 | Career |
Happy Sunday everyone!
It’s been a rainy week-end on this side of the blogosphere, yet we can smell Spring, so no complaints. As our snowbanks are melting and we can finally see the grass, here are the news that also melted our hearts, tucked at our minds and made us smile (or seriously frown) this week:
- March is National Women’s History Month, and Mashable shows us in figures and pictures what 20 years of gender quality really look like;
- In beautiful news, CNN writes about this amazing 10 year old math genius who’s enrolled in college and plans to open her own bank (please have your kids read this);
- In other heart-melting news, Essence introduces us to gymnast Simone Biles, who just set a new record for women’s gymnastics;
- In other inspiring news, HuffPost Women shows us a woman’s work can be just about anything, with 39 stunning images of women at work all over the world;
- Fortune magazine writes about how one lawyer pledged to change the tech world’s gender imbalance;
- Business Women Experts tips us off on how women can find the right mentor to guide them to success;
- Speaking of working women, the Pew Research Center proves despite progress, women are still more likely to experience family-related career interruptions;
- In hopeful news, Inc. reveals ride-sharing company Uber promises to create 1 million new jobs for women by 2020;
- In not-so-hopeful news, the Telegraph pertinently asks if women’s careers are over at 45;
- Buzzfeed looks at your favorite women Supreme Court justices in Lego form (yes, Lego);
- In the same vein, Fast Company gives us an exclusive first look at Marvel’s newest women-driven comic;
- Metro asks if you think a woman should be on the 20$ bill;
- Last but not least, The Root introduces 10 black women who are changing the face of tech!
Happy Sunday!
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Mar 13, 2015 | Career |
Should we admit to not being self-confident at work – Photo credit: huffingtonpost.com
We’ve all heard about the confidence gap for women. Whether because of stereotypes, pre-conceived ideas, or just due to the elusive character of confidence itself, the reality is women tend to feel less confident than men in general. Despite all the proven (and unproven) strategies to close the confidence gap, we may still have quite some ways to go. Yet, as much as we’re trying to lean in, empower ourselves and others around us, and make headway in the workplace, should we ever admit to not being self-confident at work?
My $0.05: As much as I am all for honesty and transparency in the workplace, when it comes to self-confidence, especially for women, my advice is to “fake it ’til you make it”! Know your limitations when it comes to your own self-confidence, seek mentorship and constructive criticism, and improve yourself as much as you can. Yet don’t give anyone the noose to hang you…You’re a work in progress, and you’re pretty awesome…
Would you admit to not being self-confident at work?
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Mar 13, 2015 | Career |
Chambray shirtdress – $45.46 – Photo credit: http://www.nyandcompany.com/nyco/
I was looking for an easy and cool shirtdress I could wear on the week-ends, and found this Mercer Chambray shirtdress on the New York & Co’s website. Shirtdresses happen to be a big Spring trend, and the combination of chambray and this flattering silhouette make this a dress a go-to for week-ends. It’s on sale for $45.46 at New York & Co.
To transition into Spring, I’d pair this dress with cute vintage booties like these ankle boots from Yoox, or these easy and oh so elegant D’Orsay flats from J. Crew.
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Mar 13, 2015 | Career |
(Photo: iStock by Getty Images, #StarStock image for the #UnfinishedBusiness movie)
Hello everyone! Today our guest contributor Stephanie Samuel is recounting a business travel experience that taught her quite a bit about confidence at work as a woman. Thank you Stephanie!
Business trips are a privilege that many often dream about. It is often embellished – on TV in the Jackson Hewitt “Where’s Janet” commercial and on the big screen in comedic movies such as the new film Unfinished Business – as an opportunity for ridiculously over- the-top jaunts.
Those images of all-expenses-paid excursions to The Big Easy or the home of Oktoberfest are alluring. Yet the truth is, besides the fact you’ll probably spend more time in a hotel or conference center than exploring the sights (sorry to burst your bubble), business trips can really test you ability to deal with high-pressure situations.
I’ve traveled to seven states to interview newsmakers, make connections and represent my publication. During these trips, I feel a rush comparable to skydiving. Just as the skydiver is excited to push him or herself to the physical limit, I also feel the excitement to produce great work.
Yet I must confess the pressure sometimes brings out the anxieties and insecurities I have as a black woman working in a male-dominated industry. (A recent American Society of News Editors survey revealed men make up two-thirds of U.S. newsrooms).
An example that comes to mind happened during a trip to Tennessee. I was there in part to interview the executive producer and the writer behind an upcoming movie. It was a major film that focused on a conversional subject that our readers were following closely.These were important interviews, to say the least.
I had the interview’s time and location scheduled, my questions written up, and my outfit laid out days ahead. Then, the unthinkable happened – I lost my purse and just like that, the whole interview was in jeopardy. I immediately called the necessary people, rescheduled the interview times, all the while apologizing profusely. Yet, I still I felt like there was egg on my face.
As I arrived to the media room on schedule for my new interview time, I learned a male colleague who was scheduled to use the space before me had also arrived late. Although his tardy interview was now delayed just like mine, he kept his cool. He seemingly laughed the whole thing off as minor scheduling error.
To be clear, I harbor no hard feelings towards this gentleman. Yet I was definitely shocked at the difference in reactions to what was basically the same situation. Why was he so calm while I was panicked?
Former Wall Street Journal managing editor and Condé Nast Editor-in-Chief Joanne Lipman explained in a recent article titled “Women at Work: A Guide for Men”, that women continually feel the pressure to prove their competence and earn respect in the workplace even as they climb the corporate ladder. Men, on other hand, don’t have the same pressure because they assume they are owed respect by nature of their employment.
Fiscal Times writer Drew Gannon wrote in the article “How Men and Women Differ in the Workplace” that while women tend to enjoy challenges more than their male counterparts, men are more confident even when unprepared.
Gannon quoted George Washington University Law Professor Charles Craver’s essay “The Impact of Gender on Bargaining Interactions”, stating “Males tend to convey more confidence than women in performance-oriented settings.”
Craver’s essay continues “Even when minimally prepared, men believe they can ‘wing it’ and get through successfully.On the other hand, no matter how thoroughly prepared women are, they tend to feel unprepared.”
When I reflect on the incident, I now realize I was trying to prove my competency. I was also trying to break free of the stereotypes of the African-American always running on CP (colored-people) time, and the emotional, scatterbrained woman.
So how can women better flourish under pressure?
It is tempting to oversimplify the answer in a punchy phrase. (Be confident! Believe in yourself! Lean in!) In that particular incident, I needed more confidence. Most importantly, I needed to unpack cultural depictions of women and African-Americans that had followed me on my trip.
Similarly I think every woman must develop a process to better handle pressure and trust her own instincts and abilities.
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Stephanie Samuel is a reporter with over nine years of experience. She has written for various publications including the AFRO-American, the Prince George’s Sentinel, and The Christian Post. You can follow her on Twitter @stephlivinlive
