What I Would Change On Women’s Day

First note how international days are „Disadvantaged and Overlooked Day“, most often for creatures who cannot help themselves. There are all sorts of days like „Hug your librarian day,“ and so forth. I miss the „Billionaire’s Day“ or „Massive Ego Day“. „May the Fourth“ might be an exception, but then a Lightsaber changes everything.

To honour the day and raise awareness, news outlets will feature depressing reports about the pay gap. We see graphs about the lack of women in corporate or political leadership positions. Despite high and rising graduation rates for girls from high-school and universities alike, we simply fall off the train somewhere along the journey to good incomes and glamorous positions. Why is that?

The appalling interviews

To add a voice to these startling findings, they will unearth a female leader. But more often than you would expect in the year 2023, they proceed to ask about „How do you juggle motherhood and work?“ „Does your husband support your career?“. „How do you explain yourself in a position?“, or „How could you get that instead of a man?“

Shouldn’t we run a series on a day like today and interview the men: „What did your parents say when you expressed an interest in engineering?“, „What is your family life like?“, „How do female colleagues treat you?“, „Were you really never interested in embroidery?“, „What do you think sets you apart from female competitors for the job?“, „When do you do your housework?“, „How do you raise your children?“ I lack any details on this in almost all interviews with men. Do they ever add right in the first paragraph: „He is a husband with 3 children“?

No, because in the world of „normal people like men“, kids, dogs, ailing relatives, and dinner just magically take care of themselves.

Female Mistakes

It turns out, it is somehow all a bit our fault.

I know for myself, that I am seriously rubbish at salary negotiations or setting prices for my work. I perpetually do small favours or add a little bit of extra work free of charge. That is very annoying. However, I have not yet found a cure.

Articles suggest that I become more assertive, more demanding, less timid. „Of course I can do this!“ “Don’t point out your mistakes!”

In short, I should try to change my ways to be more like the average guy. It is in my head, if I simply changed my ways and – kaboom – I would be a tech wizard on track to my first IPO!

Female Work Choices are Wrong

While I never read a male prime minister explain about his domestic life, we will always learn that in an interview with a female leader. We never assume that her husband does the dishes free of charge and happily humming in his apron.

If she has to do “proper work” that low-value labor gets outsourced. Someone else should do it. At affordable rates. Maybe some immigrants? Or all those other ladies who love doing it?

I would like to ask: how about fair pay for work that needs doing? If we assume that women chose social and service jobs as they lobe them, why can we not pay them fairly anyhow? So, the „happy smiles a nursery teacher receives“ is compensation enough? Why then is it ok for pilots to love flying a plane and still getting paid a lot?

Ah, the pilot. I am told that if the plane crashes, all die. I get that. But are really all higher paid jobs a matter of life and death? Or of superior education? Brain power?

If the repair man screws up my lawn mower, are the consequences really worse as if the nurse is overworked? Teaching kids is easier and more fun than programming Apps? Caring for demented patients worth less than painting walls?

I think the critical bias sets in much earlier: ‚If girls like it, we do not value it. Let’s not pay for it.‘

We look down at childcare, cleaning, cooking as this has been done for centuries by women. Yet, good luck living without those basic things!

And note, how once you start trimming a beard you become barber and „an early doctor“. And if you sew pants for gents, you are a bespoke tailor, a proper profession!

Instead, the ball is back in our field: our fault. We love the wrong jobs. If we would become electrical engineers that would be highly paid. Doctors yes, but really paediatrics is fun, cardiology serious. Is my suspicion wrong that as soon as women move into jobs, pay goes down? Does HR or marcom pay as much as plant inspection and quality control?

Women need more childcare

Isn’t that funny? In most countries, childcare arrangements do not affect male careers at all.

It is women who need longer childcare hours, as kids naturally are only a mum’s problem.

We have lots to do!

All this leaves me a bit grumpy. I hope to remember every time I employ a fellow female for any task to pay the same I would for someone who is not too kind or shy to ask for a good price.

I hope that we will one day celebrate „family day“, „parent day“, „employee day“, „diversity and equality day“.

I hope that our grandchildren will wonder about the absurd problems of ancient days. „Women had no votes? Women had lower pay? Crazy thinking back then!“

I hope we all work towards putting an end to the need for a women’s day and make the world a fairer place for all! Every day!

Photo: Sculpture by Niki de Saint Phalle