"You can begin to call out any moments that make you feel less than"

"There is a school of thought (perhaps an outdated one) that believes women need to act like men in order to progress. To be louder, more assertive, more masculine in your energy. But that's pretty damaging. Both to the women who have to be inauthentic at work (it's exhausting) and to the women coming up the ranks behind us. What message are we sending them? And honestly, you'll end up labelled bossy or difficult to work with, so it very rarely works."

"But you can begin to call out any moments that make you feel less than. If someone cuts across you, say "can I finish my thought?" When someone makes an inappropriate or awkward comment, say "would you mind repeating that?" If you don't have space to share your thoughts, ask for it. "I'd like five minutes to explain this thoroughly without interruption." These small call-outs will hopefully highlight the double standards."

"Fill your network with women. Fill your feeds with women. Surround yourself with feminine energy outside work. Ladies Wine Design hosts meetups in cities all over the world. Sistaland is about to launch a new festival for women/trans/non binary creatives. You need to hunt out those spaces designed for women, and before long, the energy of everyone you meet will begin to flow into your day-to-day - leaving you more empowered at work."

Belief that women must act like men to advance pressures women into inauthentic behavior and risks being labelled bossy or difficult. Deep-rooted biases cannot be forced to change, but targeted responses can assert presence: request to finish a thought, ask someone to repeat inappropriate remarks, or request uninterrupted time to present ideas. Team-wide sit-downs may provoke defensiveness and limited change. Building a support community amplifies resilience: curate networks and social feeds with women and feminine energy, join women-focused meetups and festivals, and seek mentors and peers in women/trans/non-binary spaces to increase empowerment at work.

Read at Itsnicethat