Who Runs the World?
Well, according to my pal Beyoncé, it’s girls.
But a great hook and a drumline doesn’t necessarily make it true.
I saw a post recently where a large company held an event for female leaders. Participants were able to pose for pictures holding a sign featuring the symbol for women with the words ‘Women Run The World’ written across it.
The sign was hot pink.
Now, I am a HUGE CHAMPION for women. I love that this company is investing in women and helping them develop. I want to see more women in leadership roles, in STEM jobs, and building algorithms for AI.
But sorry folks, a sign that says ‘Women Run The World’ grates me.
It feels patronizing. Condescending.
Because if we really believed it to be true, we wouldn’t have to hold up a sign proclaiming it.
And you know what, if you flipped it and said ‘Men Run the World’ people would be outraged.
Quick – think of a leader!
Who runs the world? Leaders of countries? Businesses?
Who comes to mind when you think of the leaders having the most impact now?
I immediately think of my home country (US), where I live now (UK), and the big companies I read about so much (Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Netflix, Facebook, Apple, Tesla).
None of them are run by a woman.
I’m not saying there aren’t female leaders out there! My lovely adopted home of New Zealand is led by Jacinda Ardern. Angela Merkel has been leading Germany for years. But now I’m sitting here racking my brain for other well-known female leaders (I know there are more women to include – but I can’t rattle them off the way I did above).
And I’m not the only one.
Forbes printed a list of 100 of America’s Most Innovative Leaders last month. Guess what – it included ONE woman. Barbara Rentler (who I'd never heard of), the CEO of Ross Stores, came in at #75.
If you look at the list, you’ll see they didn’t even include her photo (like they did for the men on the list). Instead her entry shows an outline of a woman (and when they first published the list, the outline on her page was a man).
Also, because Alphabet’s Larry Page and Sergey Brin shared the #10 spot, the list still includes 100 men.
Let’s just be honest
Men run the world. We all know it. Let’s not delude ourselves that this isn’t the world we’re living in.
If women were running the world, would we have the gender pay gap that currently exists? Would we continue hearing stories of sexual harassment and discrimination two years after #metoo?
If women ran the world wouldn’t we have control of our bodies and be trusted to make our own healthcare decisions?
It’s not all doom and gloom
On the flip side, women have made incredible strides over the last 50+ years.
When I watched Megan Rapinoe and her teammates win the Women’s World Cup this summer, I thought about my mom, who was born in 1946.
Perhaps if Title IX had been in effect when my mom was growing up, she would have been able to play sports in school and become a star athlete like her two brothers and younger sister.
When my mom graduated from college in 1968, only eight percent of women in the United States had a college education. Years later, when she was in full-time employment, a bank required my father’s permission for her to open a checking account.
Fast forward to 1996 when my older sister joined the workforce as a management consultant in Chicago. I remember her filling her closet with skirt suits because she wasn’t allowed to wear trousers to work.
Women have made – and are continuing to make – great strides.
Look what’s been achieved in just a few generations: Women are running for public office in record numbers, becoming billionaires, and founding companies that make the world a better place. Last month a business magazine put a ‘visibly pregnant CEO’ on the cover.
This is all wonderful...but it doesn’t mean women run the world.
You know what they say about the road to hell…
I’m sure the company that held the event for women had good intentions. But how can they look at their employees and tell them ‘women run the world’ when 80 percent of their senior leadership positions are held by men? Women don’t even run their business.
Women may not run the world today – but both women and men have made significant progress, and I am hopeful we’ll continue to build businesses and work cultures based on respect and equality.
I look forward to the day when there are so many female leaders out there, companies will run leadership programs where gender is irrelevant.
But until that day, leaders, be honest with your employees.
Celebrate how far we’ve come as people and society – and recognize how far we still have to go.
Beth Collier is a communications consultant who writes about business and leadership. She loves helping people become better speakers, writers, and leaders through 1:1 coaching and team workshops. She likes to listen to Beyoncé, wear bright colors (including the occasional pink), and find opportunities to weave references to The Fast & The Furious into her business articles.
Find out more about her services here.