Empowering women at work: 10 quotes from Melinda Gates book 'The Moment of Lift'.

This women's month, I am sharing my favorite quotes from Melinda's Gates book--"The Moment of Lift; How Empowering Women Changes the World."

My hope is that through these ideas you can recognize gender inequity, and choose to challenge cultures that marginalize women in your places of work.

Women you know have experienced gender injustice.

'"We are quick to criticize gender injustice around the world. We also need to be able to see it where most of us feel it and can do something about it...in our places of work"

What does gender equity mean?

“Women must leave the margins, and take our place-- not above men, or below them, but beside them -- at the center of society, adding our voices and making the decisions we are qualified and entitled to make”

What does an abusive workplace look like?

"An abusive culture is any culture that needs to single out or exclude a group....It is like an autoimmune disease, where the body seeks its own organs as threats and begins attacking them…..There is social approval for women who don’t ask for much, who show self-doubt, who don’t seek power, who won’t speak out, who aim to please."

"One sign of an abusive culture is the view that members of the excluded culture “don’t have what it takes." In other words, if we don’t have women engineers here, it is because women are not good engineers…... Opportunities have to be equal before you can know if abilities are equal. And opportunities for women have never been equal." 

"Every society says outsiders are the problem. But the outsiders are not the problem; the urge to create outsiders is the problem. Overcoming that challenge is our greatest challenge and greatest promise. It will take courage and insight, because the people we push to the margins, are the ones who trigger the feelings we are afraid of." 

Diversity matters. Who is making decisions at your workplaces?

"If people from diverse groups are not making the decisions, the burdens and benefits of society will be divided unequally and unfairly-- with the people writing the rules ensuring themselves a greater share of the benefits and a lesser share of the burdens of any society…..No group should have to trust another to protect their interests; all should be able to speak for themselves....If we want a society that reflects the values of empathy, unity and diversity, it matters who writes the codes"

"We all want to have something to offer. This is how we belong. It is how we feel included. So if we want to include everyone, then we have to help everyone develop their talents, and use their gifts for the good of the community. That’s what inclusion means. Everyone is a contributor. And if they need help to become a contributor, then we should help them, because they are full members in a community that supports everyone”. 

Ask for what you need

"Workplace cultures that don’t meet our [women’s] needs persist when we are embarrassed by our needs. This has to change..."

"One of the purest ways to let ourselves be seen is to ask for what we want--- especially when no one else wants us to have it. Anytime women can be themselves at work, we are improving the culture for both men and women…... It [being yourself] means not acting in a way that’s false just to fit in. it is expressing your talents, values and opinions in your own style, defending your rights and never sacrificing your self-respect" 

A workplace that supports women..

"... a workplace where everyone can be their most authentic selves--where we all expect and respect each other’s quirks and flaws, and all the energy wasted in the pursuit of “perfection” is saved and channeled into the creativity we need for the work. This is the culture where we release impossible burdens and lift everyone up."

While I shared some insights on workplace culture in this post, the book covers so much more. Melinda shared inspiring stories about the life, and community work of women whose difficult lived experiences helps us to see the realities behind the startling data on child marriage, gender inequity, and lack of access to contraceptives. She draws from her personal journey to achieving more equality in her marriage, her struggles as a female tech executive at Microsoft, and her learnings as a philanthropist. The Moment of Lift offers practical advice on how we can all come together for a better world for women around the world.