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).
The importance of professional support within the workplace is paramount for success, particularly for women, as I have mentioned. However, the need for support when it comes to other aspects of life that impact a woman’s work are just as important. Women are often expected to do everything, have a job, care for their families, keep a perfect house, and make an America’s Top Chef worthy dinner for their Mother-in-Law should she decide to come for dinner. This is an archaic gender stereotype. The expectation that women are to manage all domestic responsibilities and work full time is enough to instill panic in any aspiring female professional. According to Lean In, “In the last thirty years women have made more progress in the workforce than in the home. According to the most recent analysis, when a husband and wife both are employed full-time, the mother does 40% more housework than the father. A 2009 survey found that only 9% of people in dual-earner marriages said they shared house...
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