Welcome to our new series; a celebration of amazing womxn stepping into freedom while building a life and business on their own terms.
What holds us back?
As women, we often place greater focus on the wellbeing and dreams of others, rather than our own. Yes, socialization and the culture that we grow up indefinitely impacts our behavior and our priorities. But, the evident lack of success stories being published about women and their impact on the world is undoubtedly another significant factor holding so many of us back. How can we believe in ourselves when society doesn’t believe in us? So often it just looks like women in leadership positions are the exception rather than the norm.
Throughout history, the stories of women have been kept untold. It almost feels like we didn’t play a role in any significant historical events. French revolution, American independence, and the end of the Apartheid are just a few examples in which the names of women are rarely mentioned. Now, we are being made to believe we are not meant to find success in political spaces and the cooperate world, especially in science and IT. We are made to think that it is a lot harder for us than for men. This is true, but not because we cannot excel in these fields, instead because a male-driven culture structures many areas. That has nothing to do with our abilities, skills, or intellect.
How we are keeping ourselves back?
When we hear about successful womxn, there is always a ‘but’ or ‘because’. ‘But… she comes from the right family’; ‘Because….she used her looks; ‘But…she acts like a man and fits in’. Or even better: she got lucky, she was in the right place at the right time. Or whatever excuse we have to make to diminish the hard work that a woman has put into her practice to succeed.
Throughout history, women have been working in the background, holding societies together, making underground operations run smoothly, making political decisions and cleaning up after massive destruction. Women such as Anna Zakrzewska, Ada Lovelace, Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks, Marie Curie, Merneith from Egypt, Kinga of Poland (sorry couldn’t leave this one out), Graça Machel, Thuli Madonsela, Helen Suzman, Zaynab al-Nafzawiyyah, Leona Vicario, Carmen Serdan, Wanda Rutkiewicz, Mary Tape, Mamie Till-Bradley and many more. These are just a few of the women that have impacted our history positively. Nevertheless, most history books just glean over their impact if they mention them at all.
Why we shouldn’t hold back?
In 2020, we have certainly come a long way, and some companies have changed their work culture, but the change is not happening fast enough—that’s why increasingly women are choosing to open their own companies. There is no reason for us to try to fit into something that wasn’t created for us in the first place.
Women’s Inc. is born out of the belief that womxn’s stories are just not being told often enough. And how can we as women build enough confidence to make our crazy big dream come true if we never see women succeeding?
That’s why I started the Women’s Inc. Wednesday 12:30 pm EST live talk on Instagram and now this blog post series. This series is telling the stories of women from the past and present. Show-casing the historical milestones, bravery, courage and strength of women and their business, movements and projects. Join me and meet the incredible women of our time and their predecessors.
