The-Accountant-Jul-Aug-2016

WORK PLACE
Fact is discrimination
is beyond plausible!
You will have all
manner of people
discounting your
capability for a
while. Until they
realize you can get
on with it and then
they will reluctantly
appreciate your
work.
By Esther Kiilu, estherkiilu@yahoo.com
WOMEN IN
THE C-SUITE
So in the 21st century where
freedom and equality for all
is expected to be the norm,
how are women fairing in
the C-suite? Is the C suite
equitable? In terms of representation? Is
it a level playing ground? On a personal
judgment I think we are not there yet. Let
me explain;
After reading Shery’lSandberg’s
book “Lean In”, I found myself agreeing
with her on all issues that women in
leadership positions face. And pleasantly
surprised to know that this is a worldwide
phenomenon!. Too sad to admit that it is
true!
Truth is that it’s not all neatly laid out
for women, competent and ambitious
enough to be in the C-suite. Fact is
discrimination is beyond plausible! You
will have all manner of people discounting
your capability for a while. Until they
realize you can get on with it and then
they will reluctantly appreciate your work.
Sadly, because of discrimination, most
women haven’t believed in themselves.
Matters are even worse if you happen to
be young. When you nailed at school,
earned good grades, worked your head
off, accumulated a wealth of experience
and then happen to supervise colleagues
older than you. Doesn’t matter how
knowledgeable you are! From what I have
heard and experienced, this is the bigger
challenge. But guess what; no matter
how young you are, no matter how old
everyone else is, you must take your seat
at the table! You must deliver fearlessly
until the skeptism melts away! And then
guess what? At the other side you emerge
stronger.
The issue of pay gap is also real.
Women in the C- suite are paid far
much less than their male counterparts
in the exact position. It will not be a
surprise to have a woman earn less than
the employees she supervises. And don’t
get it wrong! It is not her fault. It is not
that she does not ask for a better pay! It
is a systematic problem; her fault is that
she is ‘she: and everything she does has
to be discounted! The pay gap sometimes
implies that C suite for women has been
used to just promote gender gaps for
PR, and not genuinely give a competent
human being a chance to lead.
Good thing is that the imaginable
barriers have been broken down. Progress
is being made! Years ago it would have
been unimaginable to have women sitting
in the boardrooms! So the first step was
to get there. And oh come, they did come;
the Mutoko’s, Shery’s and, Stella Kilonzos
of this world, with brains and nailed
their jobs well and continue to raise the
bar. Next is for every individual woman,
to fight the other seemingly less battles
to ensure a world of equality, respect &
possibility and the c suite!
34 JULY - AUGUST 2016