Tackling Sexism this International Women's Day

The research is compelling: sexism hurts everyone. Societies that have more women participating in the labor market are more prosperous.

Corporations that have more women in senior leadership roles produce better bottom line results. Peace negotiations with more women sitting at the table result in less conflict and fewer deaths. In families where gender stereotypes are dismantled (with mothers going to work and fathers sharing more of the traditional women’s work at home), sons grow up more self-reliant and daughters are more likely to attain senior managerial roles.

When women are empowered and gender equality is valued, everyone is better off.

Period.

Yet here we are in in 2017 and the statistics speak for themselves.

• Globally only 50% of women of working age are in the labor force, compared to 77% of men.

• Only one in five members of lower or single houses of parliament worldwide is female.

• More women are victims of violence though less than 40% of them seek any help.

• By age 18, girls receive 4.4 years less education than boys and represent two thirds of the more than one billion illiterate adults without access to basic education.

“Poverty has a female face,” said Catherine Russell, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues about the fact that women control just one-fifth of global wealth. But gender inequality isn’t just a problem in the developing world.   In America, where women are graduating college at a rate of 2:1 over men, women remain underrepresented at every level in the corporate pipelineearn less money they men and are still 35% more likely than men to live in poverty. In the workplace, women receive less informal feedback than men—despite asking for it as often—have less access to senior-level sponsors and are three times more likely  to think their gender will make it harder to get a pay raise or promotion.

Yet despite all of this, not everyone thinks sexism is still an issue in America. In fact a study from the Pew Research Center found that 63% of women believe that there continue to be major obstacles for women to get ahead, only 41% of men feel similarly.

The intention of this article however is not to argue the existence of sexism. It’s to send a clarion call for anyone who believes sexism is still a problem– in their family, their workplace and the world at large – to take a look at what more they can do to call it out and close the gender gap that prevails despite all many strides women have made over the last century. To use the hashtag for this year's International Women's Day on March 8th, it's time to #BeBoldForChange.

Why do we need to “be bold for change”? For starters, complacency is dangerous. We simply we cannot afford to sit back and wait for change or to continue to do more of  more of what’s already not working in the hope that at some point it will.  At the current rate of improvement, the World Economic Forum predicts it will take 170 years to eradicate the disparity in pay and employment opportunities for men and women.

Part of the problem is that the sexism that props up the gender gap has become so normalized in our everyday lives that even women fail to recognize our own unconscious bias against our own gender.  One doesn’t have to look too far to find examples of where women are judged more harshly than men for their choice of clothing than men, for challenging the status quo or for being ambitious (by both women and men.) The recent vitriol leveled at Emma Watson for being a “fake feminist” because of photos taken of her for Vanity Fair demonstrates just how much work still remains to be done for a woman to be able to own her sexuality and express her individuality without risking public scorn.

Likewise, whatever your view of Hillary Clinton, it seems highly improbable that had she been married three times with children to each of her former husband’s and bragged openly of her sexual conquests, her name would never have found its way onto a primary ballot, much less underneath the Presidential seal. Like Clinton or loathe her, she was held to a different standard than Trump on multiple measures.

Of course gender inequality and the ingrained sexism that sustains it is a multi-faceted complex problem that will not be solved simply or quickly. It requires a committed and consistent effort by policy makers, cultural and religious leaders, corporate decision makers, HR administrators and social influencers. It also requires every single woman and man who is committed to equality to take a look at how they may unwittingly be perpetuating it and to step up to their own leadership plate to call out sexism, lift up women and advocate for change. Boldly.

HR professionals have a role to play by the systems and processes in their organizations - from blind resume screening to unconscious bias training to linking executive pay to diversity targets.  Leaders also have a role to play in sponsoring and mentoring more women. Policy makers have a role to play in supporting legislation that helps women get back to work post children with quality affordable childcare.  And of course men have an important role to play by stepping in to help more at home and speaking out at work.  Initiatives such as Man Panel and Male Champions of Change are excellent examples of how they are doing so.

Yet ending gender inequality will take more than providing flexible working hours, unconscious bias training and setting targets or quotas for women on boards.  It will take personal responsibility and greater self-leadership.  All women have a role to play by calling out sexism when they see it and refusing to dial down their femininity or dial up their masculinity to fit or be seen. We can all do more to 'lean in' despite the discomfort we feel in doing so, to “lift as we climb” and celebrate the feminine leadership traits that, when combined with the natural leadership traits of men, create better outcomes for everyone.

The truth is that women are every bit as capable of leadership as men and every bit as deserving of power. Yet we cannot wait for power to come our way or for someone to give us permission to seek it. We have to be more ambitious than we think we have the right to be.  We have to own the difference our difference makes; to find our voice and speak out against the social mores and expectations that keep so many women from even daring to aspire to the top of the ladder.

Kathy Calvin, President and CEO of the United Nations Foundation shared with me during our interview, "Women can hold themselves back. We hold ourselves to a different standard than men. We think we have to do things perfectly or have all the qualifications."  It's why we have to be braver and bolder; to dare to do more than we think we can.

Yes, it’s time that we all committed to #BeBoldForChange. Not for the sake of a bigger salary or larger office. Not just for the sake of improving the stats or removing the stigma of female ambition. We must be bold for the sake of all the talent and human potential that is left untapped and for the sake of the world that all our children and our children’s children will one day inhabit.

Change extends from the inside out. If you’ve ever wondered if there’s more you could be doing than you’ve done so far, the answer is yes and the time is now.

Sexism hurts everyone. Tackling sexism is not therefor not a feminist issue because, as research shows, closing the gender gap and creating gender equality is not just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do.

Whether you are male or female, young or old,  sit in the c-suite or don't even own a suit, make the decision to step up more often, to speak up more loudly and to be a fearless force for the change you want to see in the world. As Margaret Mead once wrote “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."