INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
MERISSA MACIAZEK ASSISTANT MANAGER
My professional career began when I was 23 and joined a finance team at a media company in Texas. I was the only female, which didn’t strike me as odd as it was a small team of 4 people. It wasn’t until I moved into another department that I started to clock that something was off. My role allowed me to participate in regular meetings with Directors across the US and Europe – and in each one, I was the only woman in the room. I remember a female manager who wasn’t invited to the meetings despite her boss needing to consult her on nearly every question about his department before being able to provide a definitive answer. I remember the rumours that she only got her management position because she was married to a man who was indispensable to the business. I remember being in a meeting with 10 men and being asked if I used to be blonde because I asked a clarifying question to my boss. I remember reading a Glassdoor review of the company where someone shrewdly suggested to “look at their website – there isn’t a single woman or minority on their executive board.” Despite these examples, I wouldn’t trade in my time at that company for anything. I was given many opportunities by senior management to further my own development – but I will never forget those experiences. They made me realise that not everyone respects a woman, or her opinion, as much as they do a man.
That, in turn, made me question why women weren’t given equal representation on forums where they had as much, if not more, knowledge than other men at the table; and finally, that made me start to question “would they have said that to a man?” The campaign theme of International Women’s Day 2021 is #ChooseToChallenge. We can all challenge gender biases in our everyday world. I’m pleased to say that my experience at BDO has been contrary to the above, and instead I’ve had the opportunity to work with brilliant women like Diane Campbell and Lucie Kingdom, who allow me to visualise myself having a seat at the table – but we can still do so much more. I choose to celebrate where we are today, in a world where Jacinda Ardern is praised for her role as New Zealand Prime Minister and where Kamala Harris has been sworn in as the first female Vice President. But, the gender pay gap still exists, there are still more CEOs named Steve at FTSE100 companies than CEOs that are women, and BDO still has more male partners than female. So, I will also #ChooseToChallenge, and I hope this year’s campaign theme also inspires you to challenge existing gender biases or do what you can to rectify the inequities present in our everyday lives. “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg
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