Barbara Walters – abcnews.com
Happy Sunday!
For anyone who cares about women at work (and for anyone who doesn’t, please graduate to the 21st century), this past week definitely showed us more about women at work than is usually directly told. After a 50-something career in television, during which she opened the doors of television broadcasting to countless women, television legend Barbara Walters stepped down. Meanwhile, another legendary news woman, Jill Abramson, the first woman to ever serve as editor of the New York Times, left the paper as top editor amidst insisting allegations that she was let go after discovering that her predecessor was paid more and asking herself for equal compensation.
1 week, 2 pioneers in the history of women at work exited their respective professional
Jill Abramson – theguardian.com
scenes in very different, yet relatable, circumstances. Will women at work ever be the same after this? In the midst of “equal pay for equal work” (failed) legislation attempts, entrepreneurship rise, and more and more women opting out of Big Corporate, losing two symbols of woman “pioneerism” is a lot to stomach at once.
When asked on the “Farewell” show on ABC this past Friday if the situation for women has changed since the days she first served as a newswoman, Barbara Walters calmly but convincingly responded: “No!” And as much as I did not want to, I believed her. Yes, we may have more opportunities nowadays. We may be able to at least pretend to climbing the ranks of professional success as men have always done.
Yet, as Abramson’s alleged ousting has shown us, we may still have to settle for a compensatory title devoid of the corresponding compensation. Yet, as we strive to “lean in” and sit at the negotiation table, we may still be judged on characteristics like being too “pushy”, or being overly assertive. Yet, as we sometimes sacrifice marriage and kids, as Barbara Walters implied in her farewell interview, to open doors for others coming after us, we may still face more closed doors than our fellow men, and still be left wondering at the end of the day, if it all were worth the trouble!
Yes, we are not men, we are women, and as far as I am concerned, I love it this way! And yes, we still have ways to go to figure out our own dreams, and allow ourselves (and society) to make enough progress to turn these into reality!
Yet in the midst of our struggle, and through our progress, this week was a good time to stop and reflect on where we go from here. Where we, as women of all races, backgrounds, circumstances and aspirations, pick up where two great women left off….
Happy Sunday!
The Corporate Sister.
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