Money isn’t pink or blue
WOMEN IN BUSINESS: GLASS CEILINGS, MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
Women’s Month has come and gone again, with many of the old problems still alive and kicking hard.
First and foremost, business has no gender, race or age; only products and services offered to willing customers in exchange for a monetary value. But somewhere down the ages, a group of men decided that business belonged to them and so the segregation of women from business was born.
Until this day, women worldwide are still regarded as inferior entrepreneurs to men. And even though a lot of effort has been put into addressing the imbalance, men still carry a chip on their shoulders when it comes to matters of business.
Unfair advantage
But if we were to be brutally honest, we would all agree that men have had an unfair advantage, which has helped them succeed tremendously over women. Men need to understand that the system has worked and still does work in their favour. Businesses and people in general are more inclined to do business with a male over a female.
It is a disposition that has been inserted into our minds that suggests a male can do a better job over a female. That assumption is incorrect and has caused most men to succeed. In fact, I would wager that 95% of male-owned businesses would fail if they did not have such an advantage.
Think about it: from a young age, boys are given preferential treatment when it comes to exposure to financial matters. They are taken to the family business to get a feel of how things work, while their sisters are taking care of the house. And when the boys come of age, they are given a seat at the boardroom table far sooner than their sisters. Women have to work hard to prove they deserve a seat. Now if business is about who you know, and if a male is given a seat at the big money table, how difficult would it be for him to successfully launch and run his business?
It even goes as far as males being preferred heirs to the family business over females, even if the female is the first-born. All this speaks to a culture that assists one gender and negates another.
Business of business
Governments and humanitarian groups have pushed for reform and society has answered. But the issue still lies with men feeling entitled to do business as if they own it. Business is a profession, no one owns it; it is about products and services and not about men.
Men need to change their attitude towards female entrepreneurs. When a male sees a female entrepreneur, he should not see a woman but a potential business opportunity – full stop.