What We #ChooseToChallenge This International Women’s Day
2020 put more pressure on women than we’ve felt in decades. From frontline workers battling COVID-19, to caretakers juggling safety protocols with family needs, to career women trying to take up space while working at home, no one made it through the year without facing new challenges. And while International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate how far we’ve come in the journey towards gender parity, it’s also a day to acknowledge how far we still have to go.
As we talked about in episode one of our podcast, the (year-long, still-happening, utterly-exhausting, won’t-say-unprecedented) pandemic has disproportionately affected women. In January 2021, over 275,000 women left the workforce, putting women’s labor force participation at a 33 year low. While the news of increased vaccine availability gives us hope, it’s not enough to return to the old “normal,” because “normal” didn’t have the policy or structures needed for women to balance their careers, family responsibilities, and the toll of a global health emergency. We can do better.
This year’s theme is Choose To Challenge, a call to challenge and call out inequality. The Overworked team has each pledged to challenge bias we’ve see in our own day-to-day work lives.
Challin: Expectations for Working Moms
Challin choosing to challenge the expectations of working moms.
There are so many pressures when it comes to being a woman in the workforce. Add a baby into the mix and it seems to quadruple. As a soon-to-be first time mom, I’m just now realizing all of the pressures that fold into being a parent and an ambitious professional. Already, I’ve heard pushback for knowing that I want to continue my career with the same tenacity that I always have. It only makes me more sure that it’s the right choice for me and my family because: 1. I want my daughter to see that hard work begets success no matter what gender you are and 2. until men get the same questions and guilt trips for wanting a family and career, we aren’t equal at work or at home.
Mousumi: Imposter Syndrome
The imposter syndrome affects all people, not just women. That feeling of “I guess I’ll fake it till I make it” where thoughts of inadequacy can take away your confidence. The first thing I do here is become aware of the feeling, and acknowledge it. Then I remind myself to focus on my strengths…. There is a reason you are here, and a reason you are trying this. Focus on the positive aspects you bring to the task at hand. Tell yourself you will do your best but if you fail, that’s also ok because you will have learned something. Developing coping and visualization techniques also help. Can meditating on what the outcome may be help you calm your nerves? Does journaling help ease your thought process? Do what works for you. Lastly, be kind to yourself. It takes a lot of courage to amplify your voice.
Caitlin: Completing, Not Coaching
When I’m at work, I find myself reflexively completing time-intensive admin tasks for others because it’s easier to do it myself, rather than coaching others on how to complete the task themselves. While that might be the fastest way to get the job done in the moment, it’s also a fast track to burnout. And being ‘helpful’ pigeonholes me into tactical or administrative roles when I’m focused on growing my responsibilities and positioning myself as more strategic. For International Women’s Day I’m working on pausing before jumping in to ask myself: Would it benefit this person to learn this themselves? Am I being asked to do this because as part of a role I don’t want or that doesn’t belong to me? Can I use my time better in the future by teaching now?
Jill: New Grad Insecurity
As women it’s easy to second guess yourself or feel like you’re “less than” or “not good enough” compared to others. I think that’s especially common for young professionals like myself who have graduated and are still transitioning into a job where grades aren’t handed out every week to let you know where you stand. I consider myself a perfectionist which also means that I’m harder on myself than most other people are. I choose to challenge the feeling of insecurity and focus on trying my best instead of being *the* best.
What do you #ChooseToChallenge?
If you’ve never celebrated International Women’s Day before, the IWD website has a list of resources to help make fundraising, lobbying, and collaborating easier. We’ve also got a special episode of the Overworked podcast coming March 11, featuring an interview with author Rachel Misick, where we’ll talk about our personal commitments to creating a more equitable world. Listen to the podcast on Spotify, Google Podcasts, or Apple Podcasts.
