As the Tokyo Olympics 2021 gets underway, we are reminded of the immense skills, training & dedication our Olympians take with them. However, on Tuesday 27th July 2021, the unthinkable happened.
Simone Biles known as the USA’s greatest athlete in gymnastics history, walked away from the team event citing mental health issues. The unfathomable pressure Olympians have to deal with, physically & mentally, is often overlooked by the cheering crowds when they pick up more & more medals.
“I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.” — Estée Lauder
However, in dramatic and unprecedented scenes at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre, Biles talked powerfully & bravely about the mental health challenges of elite sport – before admitting that she hoped that speaking out would have an even more seismic effect than winning multiple gold medals. (1)
Simone Biles has taken a stand for women’s mental health & stood up to the expectations put upon her & other elite athletes.
“I know society says you should be a certain way, but I think [you should] stop and look at what is your natural way of being who you are.” — Ari Horie, founder, Women’s StartUp Lab
When I was Teaching, there were very long days, enormous pressure to perform & perpetual Ofsted scythes hanging over one’s head. However, one thing I noted again & again, was how the women all around me & in particular those in Management roles, pushed themselves to ensure their positions were retained.
One head of department, a mother of 3 boys, would be up at 6am to attend to family needs & in her classroom or office by 7.30am. Her day would be met with teaching expectations, Senior Leadership Meetings, managing an entire department & all the staff issues as they arose, writing new policies, procedures, timetabling, assemblies, duties & marking (the list is endless). She would then return home for about 6-6.30pm to attend to family needs & then continue working into the evening, to catch up on the work not included in her school day.
Despite some huge changes in the way’s in which modern relationships share the expectations of family needs with the success of each spouse; there are some women who do not have the additional support.
Another colleague with a growing son to look after, would again rise early, walk the dog, feed her son, prepare her day, ensure her son was collected for school & be in her classroom by 7.30-8.00am every day. Her day would again be filled with teaching, planning & marking, duties, attending meetings, parents evenings, after school clubs & associations, Duke of Edinburgh, Lead Subject responsibility, school trips, etc etc. At the end of a long working day, her son’s needs & the dog would take up what precious time she had in an evening, if she was not planning & marking at the kitchen table.
Both of these women epitomise the extent of billions of working women’s days & there are so many more women out there who perpetually push themselves towards success, to gain the recognition they so rightly deserve.
However, when it comes to pay scales, are we anywhere near seeing equality between male & female pay scales for the same positions?
“Leadership is the ability to guide others without force into a direction or decision that leaves them still feeling empowered and accomplished.” — Lisa Cash Hanson, Snuggwugg CEO
Business Leader magazine have compiled some statistics to explore pay disparities between men & women & the results are a stark reminder of challenges women still face in the workplace.
The average male CEO earns around £5.3m, compared to £4.42m for women, meaning male CEOs earn 17% more than their female counterparts.
Comparing the highest-earning male and female CEOs is starker, with the highest-earning man taking home £58.73m compared to the top woman at £5.89m, a 90% difference.
How does this compare to non-business elites?
The average female earnt £20,503 in 2020, compared to £29,879 male employee, a 31% difference.
To be in the top 10% of earners you’d need to make £46,652 as a man, but as a woman you’d only need to take home £34,472 per year, 26% less. (2)
So, is it any wonder that women are still having to push themselves so hard to gain the recognition they deserve, both in employment positions, senior employment positions & in the general workplace? Is it any wonder that so many women continue to struggle juggling the demands of working full time & if appropriate, the needs of a relationship & family to ensure their employability remains consistent?
“Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else.” — Sara Blakely, founder, Spanx
There of course is still some way to go to reduce the gender gap in employment & in recognising women as equals. There are still some draconian attitudes from men towards women in the workplace & in positions of seniority or authority, which are played out in board rooms & in employment daily.
“What is more, the select few who do make it to the top typically earn less than their male counterparts. This is a trend we expect to change in the years ahead, but it’s clearly slow progress. Companies need to do more to give their best female employees the opportunities to rise through the ranks.” (2) Founder of Ezra, Nick Goldberg.
So, who is the Superwoman in the title of this article?
The Superwoman in all women should be recognised not just because she can juggle an astronomical amount of responsibility, but she should be recognised as a successful, independent expert in her field, knowledgeable, powerful, compassionate & determined. The Superwoman in all women is open to change, keen to improve & determined to challenge the needs of any role & be a successful human in her own right.
Written by Katy-Jane Mason for & on behalf of Virtually Smart.
- https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/27/simone-biles-withdraws-tokyo-2020-olympics-gymnastics-all-around-final
- https://www.businessleader.co.uk/women-account-for-just-6-of-ftse-100-ceos-and-are-paid-far-less/113174/
