Women
often remain unheard within the workplace, particularly in business settings
which are dominated by men. Often times women will remain silent, because they
assume their ideas or opinions will be overlooked, or a male colleague will
attempt to take credit for their proposal. According to Entrepreneur.com, women
working within the Obama administration started using a method called amplification, “When a
woman proposed an insight or solution, the other women would repeat it in
agreement to amplify the point. This helped everyone, both men and women,
recognize the contribution coming from the woman who first proposed the idea”
(Lee, 2017). We often see a competitive atmosphere in business among women, because they
feel they need to be harder and less empathetic in order to advance at the same
pace that their male coworkers can. The only way that women can create an
atmosphere that will create opportunities for the advancement and promotion of
women within the business world, is if it starts with the handful of female
business leaders currently at the forefront of the industry today. This is
where motivation, support, and comprehensive mentorship programs play a crucial
role, “One way to start is
by motivating women at schools and universities. I recently spoke to
ambitious female students at Columbia’s Business Women’s Leadership Conference
about the importance of helping other women amplify, network and build
businesses. You could also start a women’s mentorship group, or
find an individual to mentor, at your company or school. It can be as easy
as a meeting every month to serve as an advocate for a fellow woman to
discuss ideas on how to address situations at work, switching careers or
pitching for promotions” (Lee, 2017).
Women have to overcome the barriers of parenthood, often with minimal support from their employers; men tend to be applauded for holding down a career and managing their fatherly duties. At a basic level, there is a lack of support for families, working parents face many struggles, and if companies are to empower women they need to begin supporting working parents across the board, “ As in an Olympic relay race, working parenthood depends on the ability to successfully navigate transition points — the hand-offs, the turns. Coming back from leave, welcoming a second or third child, or accepting a change in role or schedule are just a few of the transition points that can derail or strain the most competent working parent employee. That’s why concentrating benefits and programming on these critical points can yield significant return on investment. Johnson & Johnson permits mothers and fathers to use their parental leave on a phase-back basis, ensuring ...
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