Why the little things are the big things

From little acorns, mighty oak trees grow

It's not great when the Covid inquiry is the light relief on the news, but that's what it's been for me this week. In particular, I was struck by Helen McNamara's gravitas. Calmly, factually, she described the macho, bullish behaviours that characterised the conversations and life-and-death decisions inside our government. She demonstrated how she and other women were excluded or ignored. For example, she raised concerns about the increased danger to domestic abuse victims being trapped in a household during lockdown. They were dismissed.

Then I heard a government insider talking about her on a radio talk show. He said, "Oh, it was such a shame that we lost Helen. She was one of the most promising female senior civil servants that we had."

At that point, the gusty snorts of women around the UK added to the fury of Storm Ciarán. Helen McNamara was the Deputy Cabinet Secretary. She was one of the most promising civil servants in the UK. The word 'female' was entirely redundant in this situation. But he went there anyway.

One of the pushbacks that aspiring allies often hear is 'There are so many far more important things to worry about in the world, and you're raising this?'.

Yes. Yes, we are. Because tiny, unimportant things such as adding an unnecessary gender clarifier continue to reinforce the patriarchal status quo.

So just think how much more difficult it is to use inclusive language in gendered European languages. In France, language is evolving to take account of all genders, but it feels clunky. For example...

(To read the rest of this thought piece, plus the opportunity to join my new D&I Disruptors programme absolutely FREE, read the whole newsletter here.)

Finally, my three favourite posts from this week:

• How long have you got? A non-exhaustive list of the microaggressions faced by all kinds of women in the workplace and beyond.
• An invitation to Not All Men on 27 November, an event created by Jeremy Stockdale , a safe space for men to discuss masculinity and gender equity
• The impact of social mobility on careers. Joanne Conway BSc MSc shared a new report 'Shaping The Economy', highlighting the impact of social class on career prospects, and the reticence of businesses to take action that will help to redress the balance.

And if you'd like something a little different, try my short Medium articles:

• An invitation to let go of guilt
• What do you spend your money on when you've given up all your vices?

That's it for this week, VIPs. See you next time!

I’m Rebecca Berry, inclusion expert, leadership coach and writer. I help transform teams and organisations through non-judgemental coaching and insight facilitation. If you and your organisation are learning to embrace equity and inclusion, you need an expert facilitator to support and understand your unique starting point. That’s where I come in.

For coaching, writing, or guest expert enquiries, book a connection call here.