Dear friends,
There are many statistics that talk about how women face inequality in all aspects of life, from the workplace (our salaries are 79% of men’s salaries, for the same job), in the home (each day, women spend 4 hours and 22 minutes on housework, compared to 2 hours and 15 minutes for men ), and even with our own self confidence (women are more likely to have imposter syndrome).
I know many of you have heard many tips on how to change this. And on this Women’s Day, I think it is a message worth repeating. (And should continue to be repeated, until we can say that both genders are treated equally in society.)
I think our sisterhood can be stronger with 3 simple words: Thank you, Support and Love.
THANK YOU.
Thank you. It is such a simple word, but one that is often forgotten. In the workplace, studies have shown that employees are happier when managers acknowledge the hard work put into a project. So much effort is placed into creating a strong company culture, but we often forget about making people feel appreciated for all the work they do at home.
Have you thanked your mom for the meal she cooked? Have you thanked your wife for doing the laundry? Have you thanked your daughter for cleaning the house?
These questions apply to both men and women. It’s easy to forget, so I set it as a to-do for myself. Remind yourself to do this at least once a week - or once a day if you can!
SUPPORT.
“To the world, you are one person. To one person, you are the world”. This is one of my favorite quotes. It reminds me that my little bit of support, the small effort that I put forth, can make a big difference in someone else’s life.
So if a friend starts a business, I’m one of the first customers. If a friend organizes an event, I make time to attend. If a friend has a hard time, I make time to share my experiences.
And in the workplace, it’s important to support women - especially when she is not in the room. Some say that “women are over-mentored and under-sponsored”. Mentoring is widely popular these days - many people are jumping in to tell women what they should do, and what they need to do. But we need more Sponsors - people to step up and recommend women for key projects and promotions.
LOVE.
It is hard being a woman. We have body parts that produce different levels of hormones at different times of the month, we have society telling us that we need to be perfect at work and perfect moms, and then we have our inner voice telling us that we need to do more.
What we need is more compassion - more love for ourselves and the women around us. How do we do this?
Try complimenting a woman on something other than her looks. Yes, we all like to be told we are pretty. But we also like to be told that we are intelligent, creative, funny and dependable.
And next time you see a frustrated woman, take time to understand where she is coming from. We all have rough days and just need a little empathy and understanding.
I hope that you all thank, support and love the women in your lives. Let’s keep growing this positive energy together!