My little son asked me a few days ago: “Why don’t we men have a special day and women do?”. It was the question of a child without prejudice, who thinks that there are no differences in rights between people. That questioning generated a conversation linked to how many women are treated at work, on the street and in their families. We talk about the use of male physical strength and also the use of words.
I told him how in my work with the companies I observed very few women in the top positions of the pyramid.
Certainly, we have to keep working so that the new generations are not able to see differences precisely because they have internalized that these differences are not such.
However, much remains to be done. In Brazil, there is a female population especially exposed to discrimination: black women.
As an executive coach working for international companies, I am always amazed at how few women of color are in executive positions.
On Linkedln, the most relevant professional social network, it is frequent to watch the special communication that is made every time a black woman ends up being nominated as the maximum authority in the direction of diversity or gender. Nothing against that, the point is that we need, on the one hand, black women directors in areas of greater importance to the business, such as finance and technology, not only in those very specific positions that are based on the fact that they are black to promote a miscellaneous image.
On the other hand, the show that is sometimes put on exposes the emptiness that exists behind it, which seems to be seeking more to improve branding than to strengthen a deep and structural equality.
Diversity is in fashion and this is important, because many of us are looking at it. However, we need to consolidate it as something sustainable for the business, not as sporadic and superficial shooting stars. It is true that diversity improves and allows thinking better and with greater pluralism about the future of organizations.
We need equality to be created as long as they are girls so that they don’t suffer when they reach adulthood. We need more women in offices and, for that to happen, we must especially encourage the entry of black women into universities and MBAs.
We need more women on boards. We men need to keep changing our minds and taking prejudices out of our eyes. It’s a shame that even in 2023 we are so cavernous in many of our eyes.
Phenomena such as the “redpill” allow us to see how many men still believe that a woman’s place is to be quiet next to her man. Old machismo is looking for its picky way to change its facade and continue subjecting women to its property. They are centuries behind.
Today, 8M, we remember Women’s Day because we still need to do it. Unfortunately, there is a lot to be changed. In this battle for equality, machismo is still winning. Let’s go? Let’s keep fighting.
