When watching the five videos at the end of this article, it was evident to me how much more work women have to put in to be taken seriously in leadership positions. Each of the videos discussed empowering women to not be scared to accept or go after leadership positions, whereas for men it is just common knowledge that doors are open for them almost immediately.
In the 6 Essential Lessons for Women in Leadership the Finance Minister of Nigeria, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, speaks of how even how she dresses is taken into consideration when determining how well of a job she is doing. She spoke of having to wear a different variation of the same outfit so that people would listen to what she is saying rather than passing judgement based on what she was wearing. I honestly never even thought about how often we scrutinize women in leadership positions for things they wear as if they have the ability to wear whatever is comfortable like their male counterparts. This opened my eyes to all the ways in which women are critiqued and honestly bullied for who they are just because they are in a position of power.
The Netflix Explained episode mentioned Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Congresswoman, and she is a prime example of how women are treated for being “different” in our own country. She is a liberal woman who is Hispanic and young, which is a harsh contrast from the older white conservative men we are used to seeing in federal governmental positions. Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez was constantly harassed by the former President of the United States and his followers, they completely tore her apart every chance they got; however, she knew that this is something she expected in such a high-risk position.
All of the videos also mentioned that women are warned of the dangers they may face being in leadership positions, but they all made sure to explain that it should not discourage women from trying to succeed in these positions. There will definitely be issues that women face in new positions, however they should know that they are strong enough to handle jobs that are often awarded to men. Women need everyone, not just other women, to come together and not only level the field but also give each other the knowledge and support needed to succeed in any position they choose to be in.
To make the opportunities equal for everyone is the first step in guaranteeing equality, but we must also remember that our society was not built for women to succeed. This means that what is truly needed would be either a complete rebuilding of the way the United States operates all around, or to give women more support since they are the minority of people in positions of leadership.
Expecting anyone to “pull themselves up by their bootstraps” in any system that was not made for them simply does not make sense because no matter how many times you get back up there will be something to knock you back down again.
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