I love this quote:
"Sure he [Fred Astaire] was great, but don't forget Ginger Rogers
did everything he did backwards...and in high heels!" -- Bob Thaves
That’s right.
Well, with all this hullabaloo about Sheryl Sandberg and Marissa Mayer – strong, executive women doing it all – it’s time to come back to reality.
There are a lot of women out there who ‘have it all’, are ‘doing it all’, and didn’t exactly plan it that way.
Careers, kids, a husband or partner, house, car, student loans, a dry bar appointment at 6:30am and a quick detour to grab Starbucks before work.
That’s one scenario and not the one that is relevant…
Job, kids, mom/sis/aunt/other relative/friend, apartment, bus, student loans, and a mad dash to get her hair kinda dry before she rushes off to work.
That’s the common scenario.
I don’t want to be a downer here. Instead, let’s be realistic – the fact of the matter is that I really don’t care about Sheryl or Marissa because they are so far from what the 99% (or insert your percentage here) do, that reading articles about them is just a waste of time.
I have been in the ‘business world’ for, let’s see…75% of my life. And I’ve been reading the same crap since the ‘60’s.
So listen here, if you want women to be empowered:
let’s get the REAL unemployment figures reduced (the media and government stats
are simply a joke);
let’s have a REAL conversation – no scratch that – REAL solution to affordable, safe daycare (all this
healthcare talk would be irrelevant if we had jobs);
let’s cut through the crap where the good ol’ boy network still thrives, and
women managers (for some reason) stick it to their female subordinates;
and don’t mess with working women’s hours so they can’t manage the routine they
have carefully carved-out.
I’m sure there’s more. A lot more.
I don’t know if Sheryl and Marissa wear high heels while dancing backwards, but my guess is that they have a lot of assistance if they do. That makes it look easy. And evidently makes them experts.
Yeah, I know. They are successful execs, but how many women are actually in powerful positions in their respective companies? I rest my case.
I’m glad women are getting (some) executive positions, but this ‘conversation’ just isn’t going away. Therefore, I will not read anything about those two women at all – because they are the only women we’re hearing about. Sad.
More than that, they just aren’t relevant to any woman I know.
Let’s get back to work.