This Month in Gender Equity: February 2020
We return this month with our series that recaps our favorite (or least favorite) moments in gender equity from news, media, and longreads all over the internet. You’ll see installments for This Month in Gender Equity one week each month. If you have ideas or contributions, leave a comment or tweet at us!
The Attack on Courageous Women Continues
If you have been following the Harvey Weinstein story, then you know that the trial is currently underway. This article details the ways that Weinstein’s defense team has been attacking the women who are testifying against him. It is the same playbook of attacks used to go after women who come forward and it is one that needs to be not just retired, but set on fire. Going after a victim’s sexual, psychiatric, and emotional history, especially when designed to cause pain or to make the victim look irrational or delusional, is a particularly low level to sink to. If you want to know more about this case, including the great lengths that many powerful men went to in order to stop it from breaking, check out my blog about it!
Kudos to Virginia
Congratulations to Virginia for becoming the 38th state to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. It is staggering that all 50 haven’t passed it, but this is forward motion and we at Aequitas like to celebrate that. This is a clear example of the fact that your vote matters, since Virginia voters flipped their state to blue in order to make this happen. And though it is disheartening to still be debating the merits of equal rights in… (checks calendar and gasps) 2020!, I’m glad to see that there are so many brave people still fighting for it. How can you help? Well, if you live in one of the states that hasn’t passed it, such as Arizona, Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Utah or Florida, get involved!
The Changing Face Of Leadership: 10 New Research Findings All Leaders Need To Understand
We love to see women in leadership discussed as a leadership issue rather than a women’s issue. So, when Forbes released their ten essential research findings for all leaders, we noticed that one of their findings reads, “The value of gender diversity continues to be proven. Organizations with more women in leadership are 1.4 times more likely to have sustained, profitable growth.” This signals a couple of things. First, a publication like Forbes sees gender diversity as an asset (and a measurable one). Second, this finding is embedded in an article full of research about things that do not center gender so it is positioned simply as something organizational leaders should know. Well done, Forbes.
Let 2020 Be The Year We Get Rid Of Girlboss Culture For Good
We are proud to never have used the word “Girlboss” in any of our writing for AEC, so seeing this article was deeply affirming. As the article details, calling women in leadership a girlboss is infantilizing and reinforces—rather than dismantles—the idea that default leadership is male. Moreover, the term enforces harmful expectations about women being decorative rather than functional in workplaces. As the article says, “The version of female success being peddled by girlboss culture is ultimately sexist. She is ‘fierce’ but never angry.” The implication here is that you cannot “lean in if you’re locked out of the room.” Getting into the room will require persistence, volume, and competence and, most of all, women in positions of power and decision making.
-Lauren and Amy