Sarah Cannata, Founding Editor of This Woman Can, is a passionate gender equality advocate. Sarah shares how every single one of us can work together to accelerate achieving gender equality.
One thing I have never been more sure of is: together, women can achieve anything we set our minds to.
Having recently celebrated International Women’s Day, stories commending women have been coming through thick and fast. We saw the Day Without Women protest take place. (Just in case you’re curious, here is what a day without women would really look like), and there were numerous celebrations right across the globe.
It’s important these stories don’t dry up. We must continue to hear about remarkable women everywhere.
Having worked in both a traditional workplace and as a business owner over the last two years, we often forget how integral we each are in terms of realising true gender equality. While we have come a long way in recent times, there is still plenty of work to be done.
An investigation by Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Kate Jenkins, found that incorrect assumptions are being made that gender equality has been achieved. This is despite evidence to the contrary. Jenkins is quoted by The Guardian as saying, “I think that probably one of the most surprising and concerning findings was just how prevalent the opposition to advancing gender equality is”. It’s easy to feel hopeless and disengaged after reading this kind of news. But, we should each understand that we can add our voice to the gender equality space.
Every single one of us can make a difference. Lead from the front as we each go about our daily business and life, even in the seemingly smallest of ways.
Ask a female colleague for her opinion in a meeting where she hasn’t had the chance to speak. Allow our children to dream the wildest of dreams, regardless of their gender. Take a young woman under your wing and mentor her with no strings attached.
Like many, I have encountered female leaders in the workplace who have succumbed to feeling as though they have to play what I call ‘the man’s game’. You know the kind of behaviour I’m talking about: denying their natural inclination to be nurturers. Failing to show any empathy for others. Feeling intimidated by younger female talent. It’s not pretty. There is no need for this form of leadership. When I look back and think about the best leaders I’ve had, male or female, they are always self-sacrificing people. They took the time to build a connection with me. To understand my personality, my dreams and my weaknesses. They lead by example.
To continue working towards true gender equality, we need to see more women leading the way.
Women like you and I, understand that we are so much stronger together. Let’s work towards a combined vision in which half of the world’s population are just as equal as the other half.
Sarah Cannata is a passionate wordsmith and is the founding editor of This Woman Can, an online community, news hub and digital magazine. Our mission is to help young people and women to realise and maximise their life and career potential.
Sarah is also a Huffington Post contributor and an Amazon.com international bestselling author. She’s been published widely in print and on websites such as The Age, The Motherish, The Daily Muse, and Women’s Agenda. Sarah has helped her PR clients to get featured in the likes of the ABC, The Herald Sun, The Guardian and SBS. Sarah graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism. Since then, Sarah has spent years working in Communications and PR, honing her writing, marketing and PR skills. She is passionate about the power of authentic storytelling.
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