The Nasty Aftermath
Politics aside, it’s a weird time to be a woman.
You can’t be a woman — and perhaps particularly a professional woman — today without being forced to confront that, despite how far we’ve traveled, we have so much further to go. Certainly further than I really recognized before the leaked “locker room talk” audio tapes, the accusations of sexually predatory behavior by a presidential candidate, and the increasing outbreaks of misogyny and racism.
It’s also more subtle than that, because — regardless of your politics — there’s Hillary Clinton on those debate stages, being held to an impossible standard (smiling too much, not smiling enough, not smiling the right way…as if that were one of the qualifications for President of the United States of America).
It all puts a pit in my stomach for my daughter — and for my son. And for the younger professional women who may still be dealing with gender issues in the workplace that should have long been in our rear-view mirror. And even for my younger self: I will never forget working harder than any guy I knew (scrambling to get research reports written while my toddlers were taking naps on the weekends and again after they were asleep at night). I intuitively knew that women were held to a higher standard, and that my only chance was to out-work the guys.
While I was taking on the second shift and my male peers were on the golf course, I didn’t honestly think that their conversation topic was the power of gender diversity in business…but I also didn’t think they were talking like this. And, lest anyone still thinks that “boys-will-be-boys” talk doesn’t matter, the objectification of women blocks us from moving ahead. And I believe that one look at the state of Wall Street (one of the least gender diverse industries), and the impacts of its mistakes on our economy, shows that it matters a lot.
I guess it’s no wonder we’re on track for gender pay equality globally in 118 years.
Through all of this, my recurring question to myself has been: What can I do? What can we do??
We are so in this.
It’s becoming incredibly clear that — as much as we love the guys in our lives — this isn’t going to get better without all of us being part of it…and each of us taking action. It’s using our votes to send a message, it’s speaking up if you see an unfair workplace, it’s advocating for another woman in the workplace, it’s supporting women-owned businesses, it’s mentoring another woman, it’s being role models for our children on how to advocate for ourselves and be a powerful female force, it’s taking control of our financial futures. It’s not just one of us; it’s all of us.
Here’s what I could do: found Ellevest, a digital investment platform for women.
Because it drives me nuts to see so many women working so hard — with the second shift, putting in more hours than the guys — but retiring with just two-thirds the money of the guys. And along the way, not having the f-you money to quit the bad job, leave the meh relationship, start the dream business. Earlier in my career, I worked in a hostile environment, complete with being subjected to obscene pictures and obscene gestures; and I didn’t have the choice to leave because I needed that paycheck.
Never again, for other women, if there’s anything my team and I have to do with it.
And here’s the thing. What I didn’t expect when I started this: how into closing the “gender investing gap” so many women are. I’ve been sending out emails asking for feedback from some of our new clients (yes, it’s me; my cat isn’t the only one reading), and I am blown away by your responses. You’re not sending a polite paragraph in response; you’re sending six, eight, twelve paragraphs of detailed feedback. You’re telling us you want us to get this right, that you want to co-create this with us and that you want to be part of it. And that you want your friends, your co-workers and your daughters to be part of it too.
My favorite tweet to date sums it up best: “This isn’t an app. This is [a] #genderequality movement for #women to help them invest.”
You know it.
