Is gender equality everyone’s issue?

Great talk on ‘Masculinities’ by Raewyn Connell (Sydney University Professor and sociologist) at the All About Women Event at the Sydney Opera House on Sunday. The Studio was full of young women, with such good energy – I like to think of my 21 year old daughter moving into her professional life surrounded by such aware and wonderful women. Connell’s essential thesis (I apologize Raewyn if I make an error!) is that ‘femininity’ as a category only exists because there is another category called ‘masculinity’. So gender is relational: in other words we are defined in relation to each, as stereotypical opposites.

 So at least at least part of the solution to gender diversity and equality is for all of us to in a sense to break out of those stereotypes. Women as leaders, men taking time out for parenting, women and men enacting a range of leadership styles – directive, collaborative, coaching, supporting – why not? Flexing leadership style is part of what we advocate at Executive Central. It’s simply an effective way to operate, so let’s keep it going.

 It’s great to see these positive signs, because the statistics on women and leadership in our neck of the woods – Australia – are still not that great. On the (slightly) plus side, women hold 41% of senior executive roles in the Australian Public Service, and make up 30% of federal parliamentarians. But in the private sector, women still make up only 15.4% of CEOs, and 14% of Chairs of Boards or other governing bodies.

 On International Women’s Day I wanted to share a couple of good TED talks by women, about women.

 Can women have it all?

In 2012 The Atlantic published an influential paper by Ann-Marie Slaughter, called Why Women Can’t Have It All. Anne-Marie said that for years she’d been telling young women they could have it all, and then discovered in trying to juggle parenting and work herself that it wasn’t that easy….

I’d been the one telling young women at my lectures that you can have it all and do it all, regardless of what field you are in. Which means I’d been part, albeit unwittingly, of making millions of women feel that they are to blame if they cannot manage to rise up the ladder as fast as men and also have a family and an active home life (and be thin and beautiful to boot).

 Slaughter went on to talk about some of the things that need to change if we really are to ‘have it all’. She also noted that men were now asking ‘How can I have a work-life balance too?’ More evidence of the breaking down of stereotypes of which Connell speaks. Slaughter’s article is a good and long read, but if you prefer a short video, watch her TED talk, Can We Have It All?

It should not be our gender that defines us but our shared humanity

We all want the same things in the end

In An Invitation To Men Who Want A Better Life, Elizabeth Nyamayaro brings us stories about men and women in Africa, and about the UN-led campaign HeForShe, which was launched by Emma Watson in 2014 and generated 1.2 billion conversations on Social Media, and about 700,000 pledges made globally to take action against violence and discrimination. Nyamayaro says that ultimately it should not be our gender that defines us but our shared humanity. That is one powerful thought!

Happy International Women's Day.

Reyna Matthes
I am an executive coach & mentor, Company Director & marketing/communications professional. I thrive on facilitating, coaching & keynote speaking for a variety of clients, including ASX 200 companies, government departments & large private companies.

Participants emerge from our workshops and coaching inspired, motivated & organised - well equipped to achieve their desired success. We help clients identify & claim their own 'brand', switching on their power to create impact & achieve results.

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? 2016, Reyna Matthes