Do "Men's Empowerment" Conferences Exist? I Think Not.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by the author on her LinkedIn page. It has been republished here with permission.
I was recently listed as a “Women’s Empowerment Speaker.” And I asked that the description be removed. I don’t want women empowered. I want women *in* power.
These ideas have very different meanings, truly showcasing where women's autonomy lives and dies when the pendulum of our financial freedom perpetually swings between our access to active and passive power.
Power is defined as: “the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events.”
Empowered is: “to be given the authority or power to do something.”
And if stating the obvious is necessary, the term “empowerment” is exclusively used when speaking about women. When was the last time you attended a “Men Empowerment” conference? In a word: never.
My biggest issue with the notion of empowerment is that it requires waiting for someone *in* power to give it to you. Who decided that power belonged to one single group? (Please don’t answer this. I, regrettably, know.)
If you own, work for, invest in or care about any sort of business, there is overwhelming evidence that:
Women in power boosts your bottom line
Companies with more women at the senior corporate officer level outperform those with fewer women by as much as 36%
The cost of a successful acquisition is reduced by 15.4% with each female director added on a board
So, what the hell is our problem then?
Why is the world so uncomfortable with women in power?
In Mary Beard’s book “Women & Power: A Manifesto” she “charts misogyny from ancient Greece and Rome to today, and issues a clarion call that it is not women but power that must change. The countless examples she references, dating back centuries, “are the deep strata, the ugly undertow of undying prejudice.” They are telling us just how much – “as far back as we can see in western history” and for all the talk of progress – women are up against. It is describing the poison of patriarchy as it drips into the body politic of what parades under the banner of civilization.”
So, if it isn’t *women* that need to change, but the notion of *power* itself, this should be a quick fix, right? Someone get Webster on the phone.
Unfortunately, nothing is quick when it comes to systemic change. Because change carries with it the responsibility of de-conditioning, un-learning and bias-addressing…as well as re-defining.
But, it’s 2023. Aren't we ready to accept a new definition?
Part of me just doesn’t give a damn about what “we’re” ready for anymore. If we wait until the proverbial “we” is ready for something new, no one reading this sentence will ever live to see it.
Go.
Do it.
Hire the women.
Put them in power.
And when we prove, once again, that it was the right decision, instead of saying the “told ya so” that we deserve to deliver, we’ll just keep doing the damn thing. As we always do.
#HypeWomen
About the Author: Erin Gallagher is the CEO and founder of Ella: an inclusive network unlocking women's access to human and financial capital. Through connection, consulting and coaching, Ella recognizes women's value and increases their valuation.