There’s no denying that women face more barriers in the workplace than do men.  On International Women’s Day it’s appropriate to pause and think about what that means and what we should do about it.  On balance women are paid less than men for the same work.  They need to do more at work to advance their careers.  They put up with more crap than men – mostly crap that comes from men. Through it all they persevere.

As a society we are slowly marching towards a day when the playing field for men and women will be level.  Sadly, that day, when we reach parity, won’t happen in my lifetime. But it may happen during the lifetime of my grandson, who I hope will grow up to advocate for women – to be a feminist.  I maintain this hope, and I take this position, in part because I had the privilege of listening to the life stories of men and women from across Canada as part of a research project which I undertook a couple of years ago.  I learned that all of us face barriers and enablers to career advancement – mostly barriers.  I also learned, by listening, that women face many more barriers than do men.  We don’t seem to make it any easier for them, but we should. We should give them a push and we should feel no shame in that. We should be proud to do it.  Taking proactive steps to right a social wrong is only a good thing.  Moreover, it’s a smart thing.  All evidence points to the fact that diversity in organizations, including as it relates to gender, leads to better decision making and better overall business results.

As part of my research I met with senior leadership teams from several Canadian organizations and, in group meetings, discussed the under representation of women in senior positions.  I also offered a range of solutions which might help them to change the mix – to increase the representation of women in their organizations.  Most of the leadership teams I met with, like in many organizations around the world, were predominantly male.  Most of them politely acknowledged that the gender gap existed but did not take up the invitation to adopt any of the solutions offered.  Some of them did, but they were by far the exception.  My interpretation of the overall conclusion from these executive team meetings was a message, something like, “that’s interesting, we’re in good shape, thanks for coming out.”  Really?

International Women’s Day is a good time be reminded of the realities of our workplaces and the careers of women.  They face barriers.  We all need to understand that and do something about it.  We should seriously consider measuring gender diversity and setting targets for more balance.  We should figure out how to deliberately change the mix and increase the representation of women, especially in senior positions.  Hopefully this shout out to women at work will contribute to that shift, that positive change, and nudge us in the direction of parity.