Every day now seems to be a national day for this, an international day for that, or a massive Pink Elephant day. International Women’s Day is different.
In many countries International Women’s Day is a national holiday, but not in the UK. Yet the struggles for British women, the prejudices and the lack of equality, especially in business, are still appalling.
I talked to some of Sussex’s leading female entrepreneurs to discover why International Women’s Day, on 8 March, is as relevant as ever.
Despite working in very different sectors, these entrepreneurs repeatedly described three key elements still hampering women in the workplace even today.
Gender disparity
Disparities spring from women only having joined the workforce in more recent times. It is a vicious circle. For the founder of Training Legs First Aid, Jenny Legg, these disparities show in both medical training and women’s health. A significant lack of research or even any consideration of women’s specific medical needs affects how treatments are designed and taught. The same lack of research and resulting data makes pushing for improvements difficult.
Isabella Josie is a successful hat maker and milliner. She has found that creative industries, however successful, especially when run by women, are often viewed as nothing more than a hobby. Like many women, she has found the challenges of juggling work with family, still doing most household tasks and being the emotional anchor a tough challenge. It is literally a case of doing twice as much.
Intransigence
Women are not only still under-represented in many sectors but there is also resistance to change. Legg notes that First Aid is a typical example, where a mindset of “this is how we’ve always done it” makes advocating for change an uphill battle.
Fiona Allman-Treen’s company FAT Promotions Ltd creates websites and online systems for businesses and charities. She says that within the business networks and government support agencies, men who run them have worked for decades in male-dominated environments and appear completely unaware of the endemic biases.
Allman-Treen describes being “shushed” in meetings and told she lacked commitment to business growth by refusing to engage in unethical practices. One organisation purporting to support local tech businesses dismissed her proposals to continue developing a software as a service (SaaS) product her company had created for the UK Government, saying, “We can’t help; maybe ask your accountant.” When she approached the only woman on their team, things changed radically.
Misogyny
Over centuries, some misogynist cultures have kept women at a lower status than men. It sounds too extreme for our civilised society. However, misogyny can be subtle, done in ways that make for plausible deniability. Intransigent thinking is only one way of perpetuating misogyny.
Emma Draper, the founder of Velvet Stores Ltd and Velvet Property Ltd, finds the fashion and property investment worlds very different. While she has found fashion a positive atmosphere, she has regularly encountered amazement over her passion for investment and finance as if these interests are highly unusual for a woman. In addition, being blonde and glamorous means her financial acumen is often overlooked.
Nearly every woman I spoke to encountered problems being taken seriously in business. Allman-Treen says that early in her career, men would take her age as permission to educate her on how she should be running her business. Then, as a mother, both men and women attacked her for not staying home with her baby. She points out that at no time did she ever hear of male competitors being scrutinised at this personal level.
These are deeply entrenched prejudices against women in the workplace and insulting of their abilities. That they are still so prevalent shows just how essential International Women’s Day is.
Challenges old and new
Centuries-old barriers are still being broken down. Draper notes that despite growing awareness of the funding gap, female entrepreneurs continue to face bias when seeking venture capital or other forms of investment. Another challenge is navigating regulatory shifts. Government policy changes can be complex and expensive. The transition period often leads to regulatory and compliance uncertainties, particularly for small businesses that may lack the necessary resources to adapt quickly.
Now, these businesswomen are facing additional challenges. In a global slociety, Legg observes that policies and attitudes can shift quickly and it is critical to stay informed and adaptable. Josie feels that exporting to the USA will continue to be challenging with complex import regulations, potential tariffs, in addition to differences in business culture.
Many women are watching the rapid and huge changes in the US especially cautiously, including the rollback of diversity and inclusion policies. Allman-Treen believes that recent changes may extend the depletion of women’s values and rights far beyond the boardroom.
The true spirit of International Women’s Day
Despite everything, these amazing Sussex women entrepreneurs remain undaunted and are shining examples of the spirit of collaboration and a determination for change that International Women’s Day celebrates:
“The collective efforts of all who care about human rights” (Gloria Steinem).
Creating a cultural shift for the next generations where female leaders can more easily flourish is a vital part of what these women hope to achieve. For Josie, inspiring others makes the struggles worthwhile and she aims to lead by being an example for her daughters to show it is never too late to follow your dreams.
Allman-Treen believes these challenges can all be overcome if women stand together, teaching our daughters never to be ‘seen and not heard’ and that they can be the boss and, as importantly, do it in ways that suits them. “We have the right to make our own choices and cannot allow others’ opinions to stifle our instincts”, she says.
“Above all”, Allman-Treen continues, “stand together. And as we rise, trail a hand behind to help the next woman up.” This is the true spirit of International Women’s Day.
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