Feminism Quote by Thompson, Natalie
““Chapter 11: Working Together Toward Equality For a long time, the focus has been on making sure women have the choice of working outside the home or in the home. The fact that women have this right is celebrated. The question now is, are we so focused upon the issue of personal choice that we’re failing to encourage women to go for positions of senior leadership? Men and women both need to support each other. Women have not always been there supporting each other, and many times women have actually done the opposite. When Marissa Mayer was named CEO of Yahoo, she was in her third trimester of pregnancy. She announced that her maternity leave would be a few weeks long, and she would be working throughout it. Many feminists were upset with her, arguing that Marissa was “hurting the cause by setting up unreasonable expectations.” Whatever women decided for themselves as far as leave should be fully supported. Sometimes women who are already in power become obstacles to more women gaining power. This was especially true in the days of tokenism, when women would look around and see that only one woman would be allowed to climb the ladder into the senior management. Women can view other women as rivals and treat them with hostility, or undermine them, ignore them, or even sabotage them.””
About This Quote
Source Article: Equality and Leadership, Unknown Publication, 2023
The focus on choice can mask the need for women to be promoted into senior roles, and women in power may sometimes hinder other women.
In simple terms: Choice is celebrated but senior leadership for women is lacking; women may block each other.
Promote women into leadership and foster supportive networks.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- corporate boardrooms
- political appointments
- academic deans
- nonprofit leadership
- startup founders
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How can organizations redesign promotion pathways for women?
- What practices reduce rivalry among women leaders?
Even with choice, systemic barriers and interpersonal dynamics can limit advancement.