Roberta Matuson* says it is time for women to refuse to accept the crumbs they receive in the corporate race for promotions and better pay.
It’s never too late to live your dreams. Just ask 82-year-old Wally Funk (pictured), who waited for a half-century to go into space.
Jeff Bezos selected Funk to accompany him on a sub-orbital trip on 20 July.
Funk, who trained for NASA’s Mercury program, was denied the opportunity to go to space even though she was at the top of her class as part of the Mercury 13 Women in Space Program.
She was more qualified than her male counterparts, who were given seats on other space missions.
Funk became the youngest woman to graduate from the program, and she was told she “had done better and completed the work faster than any of the guys”.
This happened more than 50 years ago, but her tale is all too common for women today.
Many women are better than their male counterparts yet find themselves in lower-level positions making less money than their male colleagues.
I keep asking myself, how can this be? It’s 2021.
Organisations say they’re committed to gender diversity, but that commitment hasn’t translated into much in terms of progress.
Women continue to be vastly under-represented at every level. One in five senior leaders is a woman, and one in 25 is a woman of colour.
Some women applaud these numbers and say we’re making progress. Not me. I find our ‘progress’ shameful.
Here are the facts, according to consulting firm McKinsey.
Globally, the corporate world has made almost no progress in improving women’s representation.
Women are under-represented at every senior level, despite making up the majority of university graduates since the 1990s.
Women are hired at entry-level and promoted from entry-level — at a lower rate than men.
At the first critical step up to manager, the gap widens even though men and women have similar intentions to remain in the workplace.
Ladies, it’s time to step up and take action.
For years, you’ve been putting the needs of others before yourself.
Some of you have done a great job of convincing yourselves that you’re not all that deserving of a promotion, while others have said it’s okay to miss this promotion this time.
Another one will come your way. Maybe it will or maybe it won’t.
In the meantime, you’ll never recover the wages you would have received by being promoted sooner, rather than later.
I’ve worked with many rising executives over the years — both men and women — and one of the most significant differences I’ve seen between the two sexes is a lack of confidence.
Men boldly ask for what they want, while women will accept the paltry crumbs thrown their way. I’m sick and tired of this. Are you?
*Roberta Matuson is president of Matuson Consulting which helps Fortune 500 companies and high growth businesses create exceptional workplaces leading to extraordinary results. She can be contacted at [email protected].
This article first appeared at matusonconsulting.com.
