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I was watching “Working Moms” on Netflix recently and there was a scene that really struck a chord in me. The main character, Kate, has worked her a$$ off to finally start her own PR firm. She’s put up with so much. She’s had to work multiple jobs to make ends meet all at once while supporting her in-laws who lost their home. She’s had to navigate narcissistic bosses and misogynistic clients. She’s clawed her way up and through a really tough industry to finally start a business and do things her way. And then a female reporter from a magazine interviews her. She wants to do a story on her. And all of her questions pertain to how Kate was (or wasn’t) providing opportunities to other women. And Kate is totally blindsided. While understanding the importance of such initiatives, she was also shocked that not one bit of attention or respect was given to the blood and sweat she’d put into getting herself to where she was. The attention immediately jumped to, “And how will you help all other women?” I appreciated the writers creating this scene because, I know it isn’t fashionable to suggest that a successful female entrepreneur might (gasp) look out for herself or enjoy her platform for even five seconds. But, the reality is that, if the subject of the interview had been a man, it wouldn’t have come up. The interview would have just been about that professional, and his achievements. It’s just one of the many unfair elements of being a woman in business. “You know I didn’t create the glass ceiling, right?” Kate says, which I love. Here are unfair pressures put on successful women.
They will only hire women
Hopefully, women in power do make a conscious effort to hire women and make sure that their hiring team seeks out women applicants, invites women to apply for positions, and makes the environment hospitable for women. But it’s not fair to condemn a successful woman for hiring men. She’s still allowed to hire in a way that will create the best team for her business. And sometimes, that will involve a male or two.
