INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2013

Today is International Women’s Day.  Leading up to today, the media and others have been discussing ‘feminism’ and, as an example, quotas on the number of women in top ranking jobs or quotas for female MPs amongst different political parties. Personally, I don’t think we need to be so obsessed by this and we need to differentiate ourselves as individuals, not as men or women in the work place.

In the context of women in business, my thoughts are quite simple.  I don’t see business as ‘stuffy old men’ or ‘raving feminists’ driving forward their agenda.  I see business as ‘business’.  It is not gender based, it is about the talents of people, irrespective of their gender, driving forward their companies for them to succeed.  However, I would say to our male counterparts that women very often have softer skills that don’t come so naturally to men.  So, gentlemen, don’t worry too much about that.  Let us all play to our strengths.