‘Tis the season for letters to Santa, right? And although this endearing exercise is usually reserved for the honest thoughts and desires of innocent children, we thought we could also borrow some imaginary Santa’s ear for a while…or we could just wish out loud…

Dear Santa,
I know I haven’t written to you in a long time. And although the rumor out there is that you don’t really exist, I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt this time. This Christmas, I don’t want any particular gift under the tree, not even my favorite shoes or purses. Or even extra vacation time or savings money. This year, I’m asking for answers, Santa. Answers to some questions that have been staring me in the face ever since I saw my own mama going to work and come back home all sad….Ever since I started growing up, got out of college and started on my own professional journey. Answers to simple questions like: “Why is it so hard for women, and minority women, to succeed professionally?”, or “Why is it that, as a woman, hard work, dedication and sheer commitment to one’s work is not quite enough?”, or better yet, “How have we managed as people to allow concepts like “gender gap”, “glass ceiling“, “sexism”, or “racism” to enter an educational and professional space that should be open to all?”

How can we keep leaning in, when we keep getting pushed out? And how come everywhere we turn, there are unending talks of female empowerment and closing the gender gap, yet still so many of us are dropping out of the corporate ranks to find this natural balance we keep yearning for? Oh, and about this work-life balance, could you please send us some kind of magic scale to fit our professional and personal lives in? So that success is not just reserved to a select few among us (who are still expected to produce new results while playing by old rules), but to many more of us? To many more women across the board, strong, powerful, diverse women, women who CAN change the world, one career at a time, one company at a time…

I hope you read this letter when you have some time. I understand that even you may not have all the answers, but if we could just get a sign or two that our voices are being heard, then we may be on our way to a world where my daughter will not have to choose between her family and her work….Where all of our daughters will not have to act like men to build professional success….Where we can all play by rules that are fair, equitable, and just for everyone….

And while I understand that you may not answer this letter just yet, maybe not for this Christmas at least, I will pass it on to my daughter so she can keep reminding you (although I have a feeling you won’t forget)….

The Corporate Sister