022 | Self Sabotage or Systemic Oppression: Are Women Holding Themselves Back From Being Female Leaders?

Have you ever thought about the privilege you hold as a white woman?

It's Women's History Month. As we celebrate the progress we've made as women, we also need to acknowledge that work still needs to be done and discuss why we might be the ones holding ourselves back. 

Being raised by strong and self-made women, and only realizing my own privilege in my 40s, I was inspired to become an activist when I attended the 2017 Women's March. Yes, I was a late bloomer.

As the COVID-19 pandemic hit women particularly hard, I was reminded of the systemic inequalities that women still face in society, from unequal pay to lack of access to childcare. 

Inspired and determined, this episode is a call for all women to come together and fight for representation and equality in all areas of society.  

In this episode:

• Why it’s never too late to get involved
• The systemic inequalities that women face in society
• The role of privilege in the fight for progress and equality
• Why women's voices are essential and more powerful than we think

This episode at a glance:

[03:28] Systems of oppression are in place, alive and thriving bias exists. And we need to keep talking about it and raising awareness because without acknowledging there's a problem, you can't fix the problem 

[05:52] That imposter syndrome I was feeling was more about me being concerned about what I looked like. Then being a stand, a representation of something bigger than myself. 

[08:20] The pandemic highlighted the systemic inequalities that women face in society. And though we've made significant progress in the last few decades.  We still face significant challenges in the workplace.

[10:07] We need to invest in women's education and skills development and in women growing and building their own businesses to ensure that they have the same opportunities as men. 

[12:50] Don't beat yourself up for being late to the game. It's never too late. Every voice makes a difference and your voice makes a difference. 

Resources and Links mentioned in this episode:

• Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions 
• National Organization for Women - organization dedicated to advancing women's rights through advocacy, education, and litigation.
• The Women's March -  movement that aims to harness the political power of diverse women to create transformative social change.
• The Girl Up Campaign - UN Foundation initiative that empowers girls to become leaders and advocates for gender equality.
• Dawn Andrews
• Contact us 

You might also like:

• Getting Out of Your Own Way 
• Why Female Leaders Supporting each other i

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Transcript

MGW Ep 22 - Self Sabotage or Systemic Oppression: Are Women Holding Themselves Back?

 It's women's history month. As we celebrate the progress we've made as women. We also need to acknowledge that work still needs to be done. And why we might be the ones holding ourselves back. Controversial opinion. Perhaps let's get into it.

Hello, friends. Welcome to My Good Woman, the podcast for new and future Female leaders. I'm your host, Dawn Andrews, a happily married hockey mom and the founder and CEO of Free Range Thinking Business Strategy Consulting. Grab a seat at the table with me each week for candid conversations with culture- shifting, glass ceiling- busting, trailblazing, women leading impactful enterprises.

We discuss what makes them tick, how they get it all done, and actionable strategies to help you lead with confidence and grow the visibility, reach, and revenue of your business. We're classy ladies, but we don't bleep the square words. Listener discretion is advised.

Hello, My Good Woman. Welcome back to the, My Good Woman podcast, where we celebrate women's achievements, highlight their struggles and explore how women push boundaries in the face of changing times is especially in the workplace. If we haven't met yet, I'm Dawn Andrews, the founder and CEO of Free Range Thinking, a boutique business consultancy that helps service-based business owners and beyond with business growth strategy and leadership training. 

 We help our clients go from founder to CEO to lead their businesses with the confidence to ensure future growth, big profits, and happy clients. Because successful businesses start with inspired leadership. So if you've been around here for awhile, you know, that some episodes are practical. Here to help you with all aspects of building, scaling and leading your business with style and with excellence. 

 And other episodes are more personal or behind the scenes of what it's like to run my business. Today, I'm on my high horse. And I'm inviting you to jump in the saddle with me. It's women's history month. I started my work on this episode being so inspired by the women who have come before us in the space of women's rights. 

Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth, Cady Stanton, and the suffragettes, Shirley Chisholm, Gloria Steinem, Hillary Clinton, Kimberlé Crenshaw. And as I rode the high of looking back at their accomplishments things took an ugly turn. I became frustrated. Enraged, even that we're still talking about the importance of women's rights. 

And it's 2023 seriously. 

 Why are we still negotiating things that seem so obvious? Equal pay, access to childcare at work, bias in the workplace. Basic safety and human dignity. We represent roughly 50% of the population plus or minus at any given time. So why aren't things moving faster? In fact, why does everything seem to be moving backwards? 

 Yes. Systems of oppression are in place, alive and thriving bias exists. And we need to keep talking about it and raising awareness because without acknowledging there's a problem, you can't fix the problem. I get it. And I have an issue with the speed of progress. Which had me asking why is women and as leaders. Don't we recognize and flex our power more. 

 It's fear. Sometimes paralyzing fear. 

 I didn't fully realize that until I was in my late forties. That's right. 

I'm a very late bloomer in the area of women's allyship, advocacy and activism. And I'm sharing. To release any residual shame or embarrassment I feel for not getting here sooner and faster. 

 Looking at other female activists. I thought people just popped out of the womb, raring to go fists raised in defiance, ready to fight. 

And since I wasn't that way, since I was a little quieter, a little more introverted. I figured. It wasn't going to happen for me. Which is so naive when you consider that anything that you create in your life as a choice to begin with. So I'm sharing with you a little bit about how I came to make my activist choice. 

My first real political activist moment related to women's rights that I felt truly connected to was the 2017 women's March. Buoyed by an outspoken group of feminist girlfriends of mine. We loaded our minivan, my husband at the wheel, and headed to downtown Los Angeles. 

My husband dropped us off. He would have marched, but I was afraid to bring my kids. And someone needed to stay home. And this was the first indication that my privilege had gotten in the way of progress. People of color and some white folks have been putting their bodies on the line for social justice for generations. 

Senator John Lewis took a hit to the head so severe it almost killed him during the Selma civil rights March. Was I willing to do the same. 

 As I hopped out of our van at the corner of Cesar Chavez and Grand, my name and emergency contact information sharpied onto my forearm. My eyes were wide. And I was on high alert on the lookout for an escape route or for a car ready to plow through the crowd. And I felt like a horrible imposter. 

 I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how I was supposed to act. I just felt horribly out of place. 

 Then I recognized that that imposter syndrome I was feeling was more about me being concerned about what I looked like. Then being a stand. A representation of something bigger than myself. 

 And with each step forward into the growing flood of what would be nearly 1 million marchers. I felt alive and filled with purpose. There were a number of agendas represented by the diverse crowd that day. But everyone was gathered to support women's rights. And the homemade signs were giving me life. 

 There was a photo of Princess Leia that said We Are The Resistance. Love it. Wish I had a t-shirt. 

 Another that read Dumbledore wouldn't let this happen. 

 And it's true as a Gryffindor with a side of Ravenclaw. I know he wouldn't let that happen. At least not the outcome of that election. 

And then there was the Sharpie scrawl sign that read super callous, fascist, racist, extra braggadocious. That one made me laugh out loud. And then my favorite that day, the 15 foot tall narrow sign that said I'm with her and her and her and her. 

With arrows pointing in every direction over the heads of the crowd. 

 After the March and the speeches my girlfriends and I celebrated in the safety of a friend's apartment. My bestie Danya for whom this podcast is named my good woman. Said that day was the best. We were beer buzzed and fighting the patriarchy. And we were. And it's necessary. So why didn't I get here sooner? 

And why am I sharing this story now? 

 I was privileged enough to grow up white with the selfish luxury of not having a need to fight. And being insulated enough to not see the deep struggle of others. I was raised by women I perceived to be strong and self-made. So much so that I never saw their limits. And now through this activist lens, I see I was raised by a single mom lacking equal pay, hustling, multiple jobs to make our lives work. 

 And a smart and skilled grandmother with a limited voice in a big family business that could have contributed so much more than she was asked to. 

 And then it had me thinking about women's contributions during the pandemic. The pandemic hit women, particularly hard with many women losing their jobs or being forced to leave the workforce to take care of their families. And we're still trying to recover that ground. 

In fact, it may take a decade or more for women to return to the workforce at the levels, they were pre pandemic. The pandemic highlighted the systemic inequalities that women face in society. 

 And though we've made significant progress in the last few decades. We still face significant challenges in the workplace. Did you know that women make up only 38% of managers? Uh, 19.2% of C-suite executives. And only 5% of CEOs in the fortune 500. 

 This matters because large corporations drive our economy. Set pay scales. And determine best practices and thought leadership around employment in general. Meaning they determine whether or not there's childcare for people, whether or not there's reasonable vacation days or time off for being sick or for caring for sick family members. 

These numbers are unacceptable. And we must continue to push for progress and equality. 

I like to think of it like football. Imagine the Superbowl. 

The Superbowl is a multi-billion dollar enterprise. Every single one of the teams that plays during the course of the season has invested millions of dollars in their players in their training. 

In their conditioning to ensure that they can play at their best. They invest in building strategies. And offensive and defensive lines to ensure that they can progress through the course of the season to this one big shining moment. So imagine if one of the teams ran out on the field with only their offensive line. Only half the team was there to play. Now the other team would surely have a disadvantage. And when you think of our United States economy, we're only operating with half of the team. 

So look, I know my analogy was a little clunky. But the bottom line is we are playing at a disadvantage. Half of our players. The women are sidelined. Because they are not trained, skilled and valued in the way that they should be. 

 We need to invest in women's education and skills development and in women growing and building their own businesses to ensure that they have the same opportunities as men. 

If we can't get a seat at the table. Build our own tables and bring our own chairs. Ruth Bader Ginsburg said that women belong in all places where decisions are being made. And her words need to remind us that we need to fight for representation and equality. In all areas of society. 

 To achieve this we must continue to speak up and advocate for ourselves and other women. We need to support each other and lift each other up. Which is why I'm shouting this out on this microphone today. 

 There simply is no space for us to sideline ourselves any longer. We've got to step in and we've got to step up. Even when we're afraid. Even when it feels awkward. Even if we feel like we don't have any skin in the game, that it doesn't matter, that it doesn't affect us. It absolutely does. Or it affects our children, our daughters, our friends, our families. 

It affects us all. 

 And this is the moment when I am calling out and inviting. Every white woman, just like me. Who has felt awkward or uninvited or weird? Or whatever you've been feeling about taking. Action. 

Now's the time. We need you. 

 We must also work to change the systems that perpetuate inequality and create a more equitable society for everyone. 

As you can tell from this episode, there is no better evangelists than a recent convert in 2017 was my turning point. If you haven't found yours yet. Choose today as the day. If you are new to this fight, like me. I recommend the book Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions by Gloria Steinem. 

 This collection of essays gives you insight into the struggles and experiences of women throughout history and can serve as a guide for your own activism and advocacy. And I've added a few more resources in the show notes to help you step up your game. 

 Finally, if you're even toying with the idea of starting your own business. Do it. Lead create new opportunities. And hire women to help you grow. 

 Whew. So as we celebrate Women's History Month, let's remember the women who came before us and paved the way for our progress and recognize that this work is far from over. 

Let's use this opportunity to highlight the struggles that women still face. And to advocate for change. 

 Let's remember that it's essential to have these moments of unity and inspiration, like Women's History Month to fuel our passion for change. 

Let's remember we have a responsibility to continue the fight for equality. Don't beat yourself up for being late to the game. It's never too late. Every voice makes a difference and your voice makes a difference. 

Let's lead by example and be the change we want to see in the world because together we can create a more equitable and just society for everyone. Thanks for hanging with me today. I'll see you soon for the next episode of My Good Woman. 

Thank you for joining me this week. To view the complete show notes and all the links mentioned in today's episode, visit my good woman.com. And before you go, make sure you follow or subscribe to the podcast so you can receive fresh episodes when they drop. And if you're enjoying my Good Woman, leave us a review on Apple Podcast reviews are one of the major ways that Apple ranks.

So even though it takes only a few seconds, it really does make a difference and helps our show grow. This episode was produced by me and Julissa Ramirez. Thank you again for joining me, Don Andrews in this episode of My Good Woman.