To All the Corporate Patriarchs Who Won’t Shut Up About International Women’s Day
It’s International Women’s Day, which inevitably brings with it a slew of seemingly feminist PR campaigns, corporate-branded gift bags for the ladies, and discounts on all things pink and feminine. Corporate bros and girl bosses say “empowering”, I say — is it not the least bit condescending that International Women’s Day is reduced to some tacky celebration of the stereotypical feminine, while entirely ignoring the political connotations of women’s equality?
The last creative agency I worked at gave its women employees a gift bag for IWD 2020. Wrapped with a pretty red bow, the bag held a cheesy note (the writer of which took more pride in his witty copywriting than what it communicated) alongside chapsticks and a voucher for some salon. Adding to the farce, a male colleague in the background jokingly complained of his exclusion — which he claimed was the real tragic sexism — and only minutes later made a comment on the length of my dress.
Women like me, just trying to convince ourselves that we are in fact valued, posted photos of these gifts under glittering filters on Instagram, and the illusion of inclusivity came full circle. All of which is to say, IWD functions as a smokescreen for companies to optically prove themselves as good employers or champions of brand “Woke” while taking no real action to shift inequality in the workplace, or society at large. And not to mention how so many accompanying PR campaigns are creatively uninspired, pink-washed and insultingly see-through.
For IWD 2021, the Grammys’ awards body is trying to get to the root of women’s representation in music — as if the organization itself is not an obvious gatekeeper that excludes women creators from the Academy. As reported in the Associated Press, the Recording Academy is said to partner with Berklee School of Music and Arizona State University to complete a study focused on women’s representation in the music industry. And to every reader working outside the hypocritical politics of media, this is classic PR speak for “here’s another performative move to pretend we’re concerned about this issue while not actually going out of our way to read the existing research, or take any reasonable action until the study is complete and the public forgets it was even happening in the first place.”
A bit closer to home, Arab News reports that this year, the entertainment network OSN will release OSN Woman, a category featuring “fashion, health, parenting, relationships, and reality topics.” In addition to perpetuating outdated gender roles, the sexism of these topic selections should be fairly obvious.
Aviation or airline brands will likely do some permutation of the tired stunt where they operate a flight with an all-female crew (but with a twist! to align with COVID), auto brands are going to continue denying the existence of toxic masculinity contributing to reckless driving, and some company is undoubtedly hiring yet another white man who says he’s “committed to improving diversity.”
These efforts don’t amount to much. Is there discussion of equal pay? Are there specific career tracks leading women into senior positions? Are there plans in place to increase hiring of women of color in influential roles? Does the leave policy make considerations for women’s unique challenges (let’s list them: periods, endometriosis, hormone imbalances from birth control pills, side effects of hormonal therapy for IVF, the domestic imbalance that remains in child-rearing, menopause, PCOS, and so many more)?
If it’s not concrete information and tangible progress making the papers and newsfeeds then it just confirms that the only time companies care about women is when they can create some sort of profit from them. Women are just another market demographic the sales department needs to tap into, and HR needs to keep motivated.
And it can’t be women taking the burden to educate the people around them on these issues. A women’s panel, a women’s award category, a women’s mentorship program — while surely well-intentioned just continues to side-line women’s achievements and concerns as separate from that of everyone else’s. Their problem, as opposed to the patriarchy’s problem.
This article from the Harvard Business Review on being a better ally is a good starting point for educating oneself on the work necessary to outweigh power imbalances created by patriarchy. It is particularly insightful in its discussion of being self-aware of one’s positionality. In a case study, it describes a tenuous moment when “a white male program director at Lockheed Martin told a Black woman to bring “a little swagger and attitude” to a client pitch. She quickly responded, “I can’t do that,” and she was right: She couldn’t act the way he could as a white man. Allies need that level of awareness.”
So, gentlemen: how about you all get together and discuss ways you personally feel you can do better? What if, instead of women receiving trainings on self-advocacy and negotiating promotions, men set goals with their line managers on ways they intend to empower women decision-makers?
International Women’s Day has roots in rebellion — historically, it commemorates women demanding equality in the workplace, women striking for increased pay, and fighting for inclusion in worker unions. There’s a rather thick line between celebrating women and essentially infantilizing them by selling pink lattes and gifting them something sparkly for Instagram.
And if your only move is saying “I am a feminist,” then interrupting the woman trying to give you constructive feedback on being a better ally — then you have another think coming.
