International Women’s Day: A Harmony Seeker’s Time to Challenge

Sarita T. Finnie — VP OmniChannel Marketing, Consumer Health, Bayer U.S.

My close family and friends know that at my core, I am a conflict-averse, harmony seeker. I usually prefer not to make a fuss and get along with people. I used to feel that celebrations like Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day made people uncomfortable. I was taught to let my hard work speak for itself and not make waves. With this frame of reference, I used to not engage in “women’s events.”

As time passed, as I grew in my career, and as I became a parent, my perspective changed. I started to observe things that stayed with me, that were hard to ignore. In the workplace and in daily life, I began to see examples of women being treated differently than men. In the workplace, this included women being regularly interrupted in meetings, usually asked to be the note taker or told they were being too sensitive. I’ve seen wrong assumptions made about a woman’s career priorities when she has a family. In daily life, I saw women spoken over in favor of what her husband or partner had to say. These slights, while sometimes unconscious (and often from well-meaning people with no idea they were undermining the women in their life), are damaging, like many small cuts that add up to injury. They also reinforce old-fashioned gender stereotypes, and at worst, keep women from reaching their full potential.

March is Women’s History Month. It’s a time to appreciate how far we’ve come in the fight for gender equality and to recognize how much progress we still need to make. The focal point of the month is International Women’s Day (IWD), a global event celebrated every March 8 for over 100 years. IWD is a time to recognize women’s achievements and raise awareness about barriers to gender equity. This year’s IWD theme is #ChooseToChallenge.

I have the great privilege of serving as U.S. Co-lead for GROW (Growing Representation and Opportunities for Women), Bayer’s Business Resource Group for women’s advancement. GROW’s mission is to fuel Bayer’s competitive advantage through an accountable and inclusive culture that champions the growth and achievement of women globally.

Our vision is that women have equitable presence, leadership impact and recognition at all levels, and that men also advocate for this equity.

This year, GROW is focusing programming on Bias Recognition and Developing Ally Strategy. GROW is choosing to challenge.

On Feb 22, 2021, Bayer put a powerful stake in the ground. By 2025, the company aspires to an average 50/50 gender balance across management levels — through middle management. By 2030, Bayer aspires to reach gender parity in all management levels. Bayer is choosing to challenge.

To me, #ChooseToChallenge means challenging ourselves to learn about our biases and to evolve our behaviors to support an environment where we all thrive. It means no longer accepting things that haven’t changed but changing things we should not accept. This harmony seeker is choosing to challenge.

GROW is a Business Resource Group (BRG) at Bayer. Business Resources Groups (BRGs) are a vital part of Bayer’s Inclusion and Diversity strategy. BRGs are voluntary, company-sponsored and employee-led groups who work together to promote inclusion within Bayer and provide a multicultural lens to Bayer’s engagement of our customers and the communities in which we have operations.