Beliefs that Isolate Women

This week, an article by the World Economic Forum was sent to me. The article discusses the silencing, and isolation, of women leaders on Zoom calls;

"almost half (45%) of US women business leaders surveyed in September said it was difficult for women to speak up in virtual meetings on platforms like Zoom"

Societies silence women from a very young age. Women Emerging from Isolation produced a series of films on how this works differently, but often with the same outcomes, in various societies across the world. In India they say "chup" to young girls to tell them to be silent, in Nigeria they say “farabale” and in the Arab world they say “huss” putting their fingers on their lips.

In the English speaking world there is no one word, so we are convinced us that we have conquered the problem (we haven’t) or reached another plain (we haven’t). We have the same outcome, the silencing of young girls from a young age which continues as day follows night to women. In some societies this is blatant, in others its hidden - hidden by all kinds of sophisticated expressions and policies. Are they well meaning? I can’t speculate but they have little impact whatever their intent. The result if all this is that women’s voices, the voices of half of the worlds population, are seldom heard.

But let’s not solve the problem by making women as noisy as men so that they can be heard and succeed succeed in a “mans world”. Women are sometimes silent because they are listening. They have chosen to switch their radios from transmit to receive. They are silent because they do not feel the need to compete in making points, to get their hands up first, to dominate the room. Women don't have to be like men to succeed. Emulating men is too high a price to pay to be heard. And anyway, the “mans world” has not shown to be very successful after all.

When we do chose to speak we must be heard. Sure, we may need to frame what we say elegantly, or even control our anger so that it doesn’t get in the way. But let’s not wait and be grateful for a pat on the back. Let’s demand more. Let’s not adorn teams, committees and boards with diversity and then let men continue as before once we have got through the door. Let’s be prepared to walk. Let’s not delight in a development goal about women and then watch it being delivered by men. Let’s flood the innovation challenges with applications from women because at the moment they are mainly applied to and won by men.

To those us us for whom the door is more open, let’s demand more women are let through the door with us. More women on that team committee or board, more women on that innovation challenge we are judging and so that our investments are not put in places where doors are firmly shut to women.

If we want to drive massive generational change, let’s use the power that we have as parents to bring up girls who won’t let society silence them. No more "chup", "farabale" or "huss" - enough is enough. And instead let us bring up boys to intuitively seek out all voices rather than the need to dominate a room. Join our community of extraordinary women here.