My experience of working in London for the past five years has been varied. I have met women who have truly inspired me, friends from university working in law firms (working long hours but loving what they do), women who have built their careers after having and raising three children, women who have had successful careers alongside raising children and others who all their career decisions have been their choice, something I admire. However, despite the amazing women I have met who have inspired me, I have also faced some issues.
Before I realised I had an “entrepreneurial spirit” and began my own business (on my own) back in January 2019, I worked for five years watching male colleagues be hired at more senior levels than me, despite their skill set being less applicable to the industry than mine. I graduated from Cambridge with a degree in Chinese Studies and I speak fluent Mandarin. Is this normal for other women in the working world too? What about the gender pay gap? These are issues we as women should definitely be thinking about and campaigning against. Should having children mean that we are forced to put our careers on hiatus? If we chose to do this and then want to get back in to work once our children get older, should it be as difficult as one women with three children under 10 was telling me? Why is maternity leave not as long for men as it is for women? As a feminist, I am not simply discussing issues on my blog for women alone. There are definitely things about the working world that are unfair for men too. I have been told to wear heels for 8 hour standing days in retail, as well as wear lipstick and a full face of makeup not just to represent certain brands, but certain individuals as well. What if I don’t want to wear makeup? Or heels? Do I really need these things to be presentable or good at certain jobs?
In China where I have also worked, the “女强人” or “successful career woman” culture can certainly be felt. Whilst working in China, more senior managers to me were often women, and I barely noticed gender differences in the work place. The communist influence of the PRC has done a lot over the past few decades towards equality for women in the working world. This country that many in the West deem “backwards” in so many ways, in my opinion is miles ahead in terms of gender equality in the working world.
Vivienne (依芃) 