I bet you are wondering why I am championing women to climb up the corporate ladder when today's society strongly encourages us to turn our side hustles into full-time endeavors. Having your own business, being your own boss - these are very alluring promises of financial freedom, aren't they?! And while it does make sense to explore them, they might not be for everyone.
Women entrepreneurs have become the next generation of icons and thought leaders. These entrepreneurial role models have been gracing covers of magazines and ranking higher in social influence, as owning and growing a business as a woman has become a globally trending conversation. The odds seem to be in our favor and there's never been a more exciting time for us to be at the forefront of innovation and disruption.
We are at a stage where everyone is rooting for entrepreneurship, and those who are not with the entrepreneurial posse, may not be in with the cool kids. Evidently, divisions are stemming from this disaccord as pro-career women are starting to be excluded from the party. In the debate of women having a career vs being entrepreneurs, I feel as though duality, and the respect for each other's choice of professional occupation, has at times gone out the door. It seems as though the women choosing a corporate career (#YestoSeveralIncomeStreams) are being quietly shamed by those who are keen on singing the 'I work for no-one theme-song'. There, I said it. So let's talk about this, shall we?
It seems as though the women choosing a corporate career (#YestoSeveralIncomeStreams) are being quietly shamed by those who are keen on singing the 'I work for no-one theme-song'.
Now I will say this, whilst l am a firm advocate of female-owned businesses (more power to you!), l do believe that women can also make big moves in corporate settings and thrive on it. While motivating women to move towards entrepreneurship, let us not dismiss the women who choose to take up space within their corporate spheres of influence, let us not make them feel inferior for wanting to advance their careers, and yes, even if that entails being employed by someone else. As much as this next sentence might irritate some of you, we need to recognize that the corporate world is not as bad as it's cracked up to be and that being employed by an individual, a corporation, the government, or any other organization, also has its perks.
Pro-career-minded women must exist - besides, we cannot all exit the building! As the great late RBG aka Ruth Bader Ginsburg said, 'Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn't be that women are the exception.' I am an advocate of seeing women win, period, but I strongly share RBG’s sentiment.
It is fundamental for women to be present in all spaces.
I get it, some workplaces can give women such a hard time. It only has taken a pandemic for the world to realize that women are juggling between childcare and social care needs all at once, whilst being 100% dedicated to their work.
I get it, working in patriarchal environments tend to undermine our performance and impact our progression. Trust me, I have been there and I have the scars to prove it! The struggle is very real and it can be detrimental to our wellbeing. However, that is not a good enough reason to drive women to turn their backs on their careers - organizations need to do better.
In the same breath, I can certainly understand that pursuing a career is not for everyone and that sometimes, taking the plunge and making your entrepreneurial debut is the right move. THAT IS A REASON I can fully support. What we shouldn't tolerate is the growing ideology that it is all doom and gloom for those who decide to stay and fight for change and reform in their respective places of work.
I deeply believe in women in the workplace, and I actively support their collaborations with organizations to rectify this problem! The benefits are game-changing for both parties.
At the end of the day, I think we can all agree that throughout history, women have tirelessly fought for the right to work (i.e. gender equality, safety, and protection laws, to name a few), and to this day are STILL fighting for other rights (i.e. gender pay gap). What is sad is that when we dive into women’s rights at work, we can see large scale disparities across the Global North and the Global South. This is why I am so passionate about the idea of not all women giving up on their careers. According to the 2020 women in the Workplace report, one in four women in corporate America was considering downshifting her job or leaving the workforce. This was devastating to read! The skills, the experience, the glorious potential of female leadership just leaving the building (due to frustration with the system) is such a shame. If there ever is going to be any major reform, we depend on a vast majority of women to hang in there - to not abandon their careers for entrepreneurship, but instead smash their career goals, fight for reform, and continue to evolve and take up space. RBG’s underlying sentiments were of women needing to be in all places where decisions are being made, at each and every level - from allocating work to impacting culture, from team leaders and middle management to C-suite leadership. #aloft
Why? Well, we women are affected by the very decisions that are being made by men about our lives, our freedoms, and our future. Women cannot perform at a mediocre level due to barriers to success in their organizations. Women cannot downshift just because it is easier. Women cannot continue to feel undervalued or unrecognized, and neither should they feel like giving up on their careers out of frustration with the system. Women need to be rewarded. I will say it again, "having a career is outdated" ideology is flawed.
We must do better for women who choose to have a career, and that is why I am an ardent supporter of corporate reforms that supports recruitment, retention, and progression of women.
Women are phenomenal, and if you happen to be a woman reading this, hear me out when I say that your experience, your skills, your attributes - regardless of the stage you are in in your career path - are instrumental for the fight for reform. Now is the time to be proud to have a career. Yes, I am aware that we are in the middle of a pandemic, and that many of us are facing job losses, but there is a difference between losing a job and losing a career.
I founded ‘HerCorporateSpace’ to recognize and encourage women who proudly choose a career over a job, women who aspire to have rewarding careers in which they can take up space and make a difference. I am a firm believer that whatever I am facing, the right career mindset will get me through any season. It always has! As we are all trying to survive these unprecedented times, by any means necessary, yes, even entrepreneurship, please do not neglect taking ownership of your career. A thriving career can lead to financial freedom, open doors to other streams of income, and more importantly, give you great satisfaction.
You can boss it up in your career too!
When you become so good that they cannot ignore you, you too can reap the benefits that come with that career. You can do anything that you set your mind to, you just need to choose the path!
Lastly, if having a career is not for you, please don’t dismiss other women who are choosing to pursue a thriving corporate track record, but encourage them instead. There is plenty of room for all of us to flourish and thrive, and women must support one another in whatever they choose to accomplish.
WRITTEN BY
Charmaine Wellington