There’s plenty out there about women having to lean in, but we rarely talk about how men can also play their part by shuffling that fixed deck of cards. I have a few suggestions. Continue reading Did your girlfriend “stop getting paid” this week?
Invisible Obstacles
My Lean In circle is a group of passionate, intelligent, ambitious, thriving women. We often discuss ways we can break through the subtle sexist obstacles in our workplaces. These walls, barriers or ceilings – glass ceilings, if you like – can be hard to see unless you put in your special ‘gender equality’ lenses and take a deliberate look. Continue reading “The Great Sexist Bake Off”
At work some of my colleagues are *this* close to openly laying bets on when I’ll get pregnant. Seriously. Some ask me to my face, others gossip about it in the kitchen. And I know the ones who aren’t discussing it publicly are probably still thinking it privately.
Since I got married it’s been happening with unsettling frequency. Liam and I have discussed making one of those in/out slider signs for my desk, saying ‘not pregnant/ definitely not pregnant’. Continue reading “Not pregnant / Definitely not pregnant”
You may have come across Jennifer Lawrence’s recent article for Lenny. In it she writes about her experience finding out (at the same time as millions around the world) that she had been paid a sizeable amount less than her male colleagues for her role in ‘American Hustle’. It turns out that gender inequality is alive and kicking in Hollywood, just as non-film-star women get paid less than their male counterparts for the same work all around the world. I’m impressed by J-Law’s maturity when she confesses, “I didn’t get mad at Sony” – the company paying her salary – “I got mad at myself. I failed as a negotiator because I gave up early.” Continue reading “Why I’m just like Jennifer Lawrence”
Baroness Brady of Knightsbridge, Vice-Chairman of West Ham FC, one of Lord Sugar’s advisors on the Apprentice and formerly the youngest Managing Director of a PLC in the UK, is undeniably an impressive woman. In her appropriately titled autobiography ‘Strong Woman’, two key themes emerge. First, Karren Brady’s primary concern is independence. From the outset she tells us ‘I have taught myself to rely on … Continue reading Book Review: Strong Woman
I recently attended an event where I met a woman who I would describe as an ‘old school feminist’. Wearing a headache-inducing array of clashing colours, from the peach pink in her hair to the flaming fuchsia of her leggings, and a whole rainbow in between. I watched the group dynamics, a set of strangers who had never met before. The majority ignored this unusual … Continue reading How far should you go to fit in?
The Writing Half 