The backlash against the celebration of female success - Women's Agenda

The backlash against the celebration of female success

A twenty-something woman in the early stage of her career lashed out this week at the focus on the gender of successful women. Apparently she’s had enough of reading articles linking success to gender. She appears to be of the view that achievement is entirely due to capability and has asked the people who continue to talk about gender to, essentially, shut up.

Peta Southcombe, marketing analytics manager at media agency Maxus, wrote this for Mumbrella:

“I don’t mean to be a traitor to my gender, but if I read one more article about the “lack of women in top jobs” I’m going to explode! I don’t see myself as a victim, and I’m sick of being referred to as one. Until I read these pieces, I don’t for one second believe that I can’t make it as far as any man out there.”

A female former colleague alerted me to the article. Clearly Women’s Agenda is one place where you can be assured of reading articles about the lack of women in top jobs. But we don’t suggest it’s because women are victims. We merely publish the facts and then provide ideas, case studies, role models, anecdotes that demonstrate what others have done to smash through anyway. Yes, we believe that women can and should help other women. But not because we are victims. In fact the opposite. It’s because we are strong, but more powerful when united.

By the time I got round to commenting there were 96 passionate views in response to Peta’s article. Most were from women who accused her of being naive, among other things. She had some support too, from men and women who believe success merely comes down to hard work – what glass ceiling? Unfortunately passionate debate can turn nasty and the supporters and detractors turned on each other. Women arguing with women about what’s best for women. No one wins when we get sidetracked by small battles.

I tried to inject some logic into the argument in an effort to diffuse the situation with facts. This was my comment:

“Peta, thank you for your opinion on this subject. You have the right to your view and we should respect it. However, I have the right to disagree with it.

I wish I could say you were right. If it was simply a matter of hard work, intelligence and smarts that was the path to the top then surely the gender balance would be 50:50. If I am to follow your logic then the fact that it isn’t surely means that women are either not as bright as men or not as committed. I would dispute both suggestions.

The facts are that in 2013 Australian women earn 17.4% less than men on average and only share in 20% of ASX-200 company leadership roles and 15.4% of paid ASX-200 board roles.

If we truly believe that men and women have had equal opportunities for advancement and pay then we must return to the premise that women are inferior in some way – because the reality is that we are far from equal in representation at leadership levels in virtually every industry and organisation. I am certain you don’t believe that women are inferior for a minute Peta.

The reason we celebrate the women who make it to the top is that to date it has been a rare event, even though women are as capable as men. The women I speak to and who we speak to daily, hourly even, via the Women’s Agenda website that launched last year for Private Media, want role models. They want visible evidence of female achievement and so we provide that for them.

You may not need female role models for self-belief but please don’t judge those who do.”

Commenter #85 Lucy May, summed it up best:

“I am 29 year old female and I started my career almost ten years ago in Sydney and 18 months ago I transferred to our global headquarters in the US to head up Global Communications for one of the biggest brands of our Fortune 500 company because yeah I have ambitions of getting to the “top”. You think I don’t “shut the f*** up and get on with it” to stay here and continue to advance my career?

Of course I do. But that doesn’t mean for one second that I forget or take for granted how hard women have to work to get to these positions and celebrate them when they do.”

Do you agree that it’s necessary to celebrate when a woman reaches a leadership position?

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