Women’s Potential Explorer

It’s so easy to go inwards and not come out sometimes, it’s necessary sometimes. I have had a couple of weeks of introspection and working on house stuff and kids stuff. Being present and not thinking about future plans in a strategic way.

This has been good for me. And then it’s one step at a time.

I think the only way to live meaningfully, is to know what you stand for and what legacy you want to leave. I think having a strong compass or sense of direction will steer you to do what’s right for you.

The media, politics, the left and right vitriol, the disdain for others can take the shine off things, and more importantly, the emphasis off things. It’s important know yourself and what’s important, what your purpose is.

I do not have this all figured this all out yet, however I do know that my purpose is to give women a hand up, to help them achieve and not just find their purpose. This is about harnessing women’s potential to achieve equitable outcomes.

Step 1: So it’s time for some market research and soul searching.

There is a lot going on in the world, it’s sometimes hard not to be dismayed by what is in the news:

A Russian Leader, an evil autocratic man with no regard to the future of his people (or humans in general), invading a country, committing mass murder and war crimes, for what? It seems like it’s for his own ‘big man’ ego.

Girls not being allowed to go to school beyond year 6 in Afghanistan. Thus turning a blind eye to half of their populations potential, adversely affecting their economy, and tragically destroying the hopes and dreams of millions of women, due to dogmatic, outdated ideas stemming from an interpretation of a religion with only male leadership…. blind.

And then in our own country of Aotearoa, we have had some of the toughest COVID 19 rules in the world, but we have among the lowest death rates, and highest rates of vaccination in the world, and there’s now access to good therapeutics. It is timely to open up and rebuild. This strategy has undoubtedly saved lives as we have options that were not available two years ago. Yet the mad, misogynistic vitriol against our prime minister is shocking. No one is perfect, and we should all be held accountable for decisions, however, she has led New Zealand through a number of unprecedented events in her time as leader, a global pandemic being only one of them. She gets comments such “she’s just a girl in a skirt on a power trip”, and she gets threats to her life! Come on! Such comments are not made about men. This is misogyny and this is toxic masculinity on display at its finest. Jacinda Ardern will go down in history as being a great leader through a time of complete uncertainty.

Will Smith! Where do we begin? I had never really thought too much about him, though he seemed like a wholesome sort of a guy. Fancy losing complete control like that! Chris Rock was not funny, but Will could have just given him a dirty look, and taken the opportunity to make statement later. Yet he showed a display of toxic masculinity, all that is wrong in the world right now. This manic tantrum overshadowed all the amazing achievements of women at the Oscars, including our very own Jane Campion. What does it teach our boys? That it’s ok to react with violence when you’re angry. What does it teach our girls? That they don’t have their own voice and need to be “protected” by a man.

I focus on what I can influence, but some days I feel angry. This invigorates me to try harder at ensuring women and gender diverse people have as many opportunities as possible to create the table they sit at, not just have a seat.

I have a boy, he is eleven going on sixteen. I love him dearly. He is a great kid.

I worry about him and the influences that are around him. This is an age old concern for mothers I think.

I have been thinking about it a lot, and there are some key messages I have for him:

1. Our bodies are precious.

2. Stick up for other people and don’t take advantage of them.

3. Be the best boy you can be. Play rough, take risks, be loud and messy, however always be kind and considerate of others.

4. You will be a good man. Men are different from women, masculine different from feminine, we all have traits of both and gender is often a fluid factor. It’s about taking the best from those traits and being someone who doesn’t hurt others and who will stick up for others.

5. It’s about being champions for others.

6. Be compassionate. Empathy plus action equals compassion (I love that saying, and can’t take credit for it).

7. It’s not about perfection and always ‘getting it right’, that’s impossible; learn from mistakes, life is a journey.

8. You are loved

I find that often I’m quite angry about what happens to women, and it feels like we have gone backwards in society.

1. Medical research is still mostly based data collected about men’s bodies. Drug dosing and medical equipment is still mostly created for men and their bodies.

2. AI algorithms are often based on data that comes from men. This could mean that products are programmed, and designed for men without considering the other half of the species, having more long-term impact on progress, health, and life outcomes.

3. Why isn’t there an even split of stories about women from history? Why weren’t women allowed to do certain things?

4. Why, now that in most Western cultures, women have a lot more opportunities, are there still a lack of opportunities at certain levels of an organisation?

5. When will there be a big shift in how we think about these factors?

I have heard that you have to start somewhere, that there is no perfect time. It’s not perfect but here are my ‘gym musings’ for today.

I am not perfect, not particularly funny, very easily distracted (I just put this down to answer an email). I don’t have it all together, or have all the answers. I do know how to take chances and get out there and give things a go. I know how to lead through change, uncertainty, and adversity. I know how important it is for there to be a variety of people’s voices at the table.

My vision: A world where people who identify as women and gender diverse are fully able to lead, thrive, and be recognised for their unique critical perspective.

Disclaimer: This is not about excluding men from opportunity. This is about supporting women to reach their potential and having the same autonomy and opportunity as men. Men can be champions for this. Economies where women and gender diverse can thrive are the strongest. It makes no economic or moral sense to ignore the views of over fifty percent of the human species, all views are important. Think of what can be achieved with this level of collaboration.

The pandemic years have had a huge impact on women. It has taken many out of the workforce and derailed careers and plans. We need to start thinking differently about how we achieve what we want. This is an opportunity to rethink the workforce and how we do things.

Women have so much potential. We make up over half of the world’s population. Yet, worldwide, this is such an area of untapped potential. Imagine women being able to have many more options, by having flexibility, autonomy, and networks of other women who have their backs. What could women achieve?