It’s International Women's Day. Normally, I would be involved in curating and writing about events at work, part of the D&I Champions team which focused on our belonging efforts. Without teammates to share with, or company-hosted events to attend, I spent part of the day scrolling through LinkedIn posts. I found that a lot of the ones from Brands™ wished their women workers well on this day. Same for the many emails which flooded my inbox, which also included links to buy or donate to women-related causes.
The other trend I noticed was for people to tag women who have been influential in their careers. I love that idea. I’ve highlighted some in my own past, but I always worry while doing so that I’ll leave someone out. And being the possible cause of that exclusion absolutely terrifies me.
So, instead, I want to point out something I think those posts and emails and tags miss: Every woman in your life should be celebrated and championed, not only today. Honestly, for my fellow fellas reading these posts, we have a responsibility to use our privilege to lift up all marginalized people. I know that’s an easy idea to type, but let’s look at a couple of ways you can do that, specifically geared toward the women in our lives.
Listen– What should seem self explanatory, is — apparently — harder than it looks. You’d be surprised how many times women don’t get to finish their thoughts before a man interrupts them.
Create space– This is related to the listening idea, but takes it to another level. If you notice women in your meetings, for example, waiting to speak, invite them into the conversation.
Share the work and the credit– Again, here’s an idea which shouldn’t have to be highlighted, but we should be equally dividing our burdens, and then sharing the praise for jobs well done. Use any moments of recognition to give credit to the people you collaborated with.
Champion and sponsor women– The step after sharing credit is championing and sponsoring. They’re related, but slightly different. Championing, in my understanding, is suggesting people for opportunities when they are not in the room. Sponsoring is being able to give them the opportunities yourself, and doing what you can to help them succeed.
Call out other men for behavior which keeps women down– One of the best ways to use your privilege is to make sure you are stepping in to correct your male peers when they step out of line. It’s not going to be easy, but nobody is going to grow unless and until we get a little uncomfortable.
Go deeper in your education and advocacy– Become a life-long learner. You can listen to podcasts, follow more women on professional and social networks, and check out some books written by women. By understanding their lived experience better, you’ll get better at recognizing when you should step in, and when you should step aside.
Happy International Women’s Day. Now, please, get to work.
Full on Kevin's Mom
08 March 2023
Born this way.
It’s International Women's Day. Normally, I would be involved in curating and writing about events at work, part of the D&I Champions team which focused on our belonging efforts. Without teammates to share with, or company-hosted events to attend, I spent part of the day scrolling through LinkedIn posts. I found that a lot of the ones from Brands™ wished their women workers well on this day. Same for the many emails which flooded my inbox, which also included links to buy or donate to women-related causes.
The other trend I noticed was for people to tag women who have been influential in their careers. I love that idea. I’ve highlighted some in my own past, but I always worry while doing so that I’ll leave someone out. And being the possible cause of that exclusion absolutely terrifies me.
So, instead, I want to point out something I think those posts and emails and tags miss: Every woman in your life should be celebrated and championed, not only today. Honestly, for my fellow fellas reading these posts, we have a responsibility to use our privilege to lift up all marginalized people. I know that’s an easy idea to type, but let’s look at a couple of ways you can do that, specifically geared toward the women in our lives.
Listen– What should seem self explanatory, is — apparently — harder than it looks. You’d be surprised how many times women don’t get to finish their thoughts before a man interrupts them.
Create space– This is related to the listening idea, but takes it to another level. If you notice women in your meetings, for example, waiting to speak, invite them into the conversation.
Share the work and the credit– Again, here’s an idea which shouldn’t have to be highlighted, but we should be equally dividing our burdens, and then sharing the praise for jobs well done. Use any moments of recognition to give credit to the people you collaborated with.
Champion and sponsor women– The step after sharing credit is championing and sponsoring. They’re related, but slightly different. Championing, in my understanding, is suggesting people for opportunities when they are not in the room. Sponsoring is being able to give them the opportunities yourself, and doing what you can to help them succeed.
Call out other men for behavior which keeps women down– One of the best ways to use your privilege is to make sure you are stepping in to correct your male peers when they step out of line. It’s not going to be easy, but nobody is going to grow unless and until we get a little uncomfortable.
Go deeper in your education and advocacy– Become a life-long learner. You can listen to podcasts, follow more women on professional and social networks, and check out some books written by women. By understanding their lived experience better, you’ll get better at recognizing when you should step in, and when you should step aside.
Happy International Women’s Day. Now, please, get to work.
See you tomorrow?