It’s harder than I thought to write this blog. Firstly my parameter was to write about my experiences of getting ahead in my business and secondly, how that was for a women, especially in a male oriented business. TWITT is raising a very valid point. Women in I.T! Wonderful, I’m all for a women in I.T, in fact more women in I.T and less of the S.H.I.T is great wouldn’t you agree.
Let me tell you a little bit about me. I run a jewellery company that’s quite unique. I search the globe (traveling alone) to remote and often hostile locations to find women of all ages that need a leg up into business or investment to grow their artistry. These women create gorgeous jewellery and are paid fairly for time and materials, I get to sell their creations and travel more to help more. It’s hard, it’s not what I expected (bribery, violence, danger and food poisoning, but that’s another blog). I’ve been in the jewellery business over 20 years and have pretty much done it all. Now I’m applying skills to others and my word am I learning!
I’ve hit glass ceilings and glass slippers. I mention both because they are both relevant and this is nothing to do with men, I’ve found from my own experience that women have or have tried to sabotage my career more than men. Sisterhood is alive and well, when it suits both parties. On the whole there are careers that have, at the top end, an impenetrable ceiling where no matter what you do, having boobs, kids, Chardonnay, will inhibit you from going further. But I really do think change is coming from all avenues, just some major corporations have yet to get the memo.
I was born in 76 and as an adolescent then to today so much has changed. Let me tell you that sentence shocks me into a gin and tonic! I’ve only just put on my grown up pants and I’m already coming out with such phrases as “it was different in my day” or the classic “it wouldn’t have been like that when I was young”. But I see positive change everywhere. Now it’s cool to be a nerd and a geek (Thanks Big Bang Theory and the like) I’m no longer afraid to say I’m a geek and proud! I’m excited to wear my Thunder Cats T-shirt drink from my Chewbacca mug! It’s also good to be healthy these days, less smoking and more quinoa, and of course now you’re safer to be who you are too. Now I’m not saying LGTB, Transgender or any other ‘non-generic sexual orientation’ are fairly treated or that being themselves is easily accepted; sadly there is too much work still to be done. But from 1985 more support, understanding and freedom has begun and the same has happened for women in business too.
I never thought myself a feminist. It’s been of late that I’ve watched movies or TV series and I see what we were up against. Once again in Hollywood and beyond change is coming. There are more women in leading roles. Sandra Bullock taking a main role as a female in her latest movie and of course more intelligent and realistic women portrayed on TV. The amount of times I’ve watched and switched of programmes like “CSI in heels and full make up becomes a surgeon and saves a child without a hair out of place and then finds a man whose the love of her life but struggles with her demanding career” I mean please…. Stop.. Now.
So back to my statement prior, women also stop advancement of women. I can only tell you my experiences of this. I was once passed over 4 times for promotion. At first, I thought it was my lack of a particular skill, so I worked harder to improve although I was never told why I missed the first shot. The second time I began to think maybe I wasn’t good enough, maybe it’s not the work I do but the fact I’m not liked? After that the knock backs just chopped away until I resigned. Although my confidence was knocked I knew I needed to find another avenue. However, once I’d left the company a former colleague called me to say sorry, they knew the reason I was passed over was because the wife of the owner took a dislike to me after her husband and CEO praised my work and my ability. Apparently her own insecurities in her marriage and her husband’s lack of leadership meant I missed out on a career. Though in the end it worked out very well for me!
I’ve also been surrounded by men in my business too. From the Middle East to Asia, meetings and negotiations change depending on the generation, beliefs and sometimes misogynistic and downright horrible men. From certain townships in South Africa, bribery to the male heads of the community have to happen before you can even meet the women there. Sometimes just women wanting to work, just wanting to have an education leads to violence, then to India who in the north some women are not permitted to work, certainly not with a western women and certainly NOT without men involved, often with any money made never reaching their hands. My reason for telling you this is because we need, as women, to gain perspective and control of what we want to do. Whether this is the glass slipper of man shackling us to their will or the glass ceiling created by whatever flavour of human, well we are the only ones who can combat and determine what we do. I have women working with my company who fight to just be themselves and be heard.
By Kelly Casey – https://twitter.com/ollienobleltd
twittcomblog 