5 Things I've Learned From Working in An All-Female Office
Originally posted January 2017.
Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright famously stated, “There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.” As the newest addition to the Gambel team, I can confidently say that, if the adage is true, then the #GambelGirls have nothing to fear.
One of the most exciting aspects of navigating my new position as a communications strategist at Gambel is that I get to work with a team of ten confident, competent, accomplished and inspiring women. While working with all women in a three-room office might sound daunting, I truly feel honored to be in such close proximity to these brilliant women every day. Each of my colleagues brings something unique and fresh to the table—bouncing ideas off one another and sharing experience and expertise.
If I’m being completely honest, I have more than my fair share of experience when it comes to single gendered environments. I graduated from an all-girls’ high school, pledged a sorority in college and worked at an all-female lifestyle publication after graduation. I’ve also worked in mixed gendered workplaces and I can tell you, there is certainly a difference. So what have I learned from working in an all-female office?
Help a sista out. When I say I work with a team of competent women, I should really emphasize the team aspect of the Gambel Communications office. There is constant collaboration among the strategists here—whether that means sharing ideas for pitching media contacts, proof-reading a press release for another strategist or simply emailing something learned outside the office that day.
There are no bad ideas. If you are a woman, you have no doubt been talked over in a meeting, classroom or dinner party. Maybe you sat silently while waiting for the window of opportunity to voice your opinion that never came. In an all-female office, there is no (conscious or unconscious) stifling of opinions. This aspect is important when your job is coming up with new and innovative ideas to promote your clients.
I’m some kind of bubble girl. If there is any downside to working with an all-female staff, it is perhaps that we tend to forget that even in 2017, women face institutional barriers throughout their careers. Working in an all-female office, I feel included, supported and that my opinions are valued—no matter how I say them. I sometimes have to remind myself that women are paid 75 cents on the dollar (76 cents in Louisiana) and rarely reach the top levels of career advancement, despite statistics that more women than men graduate from college each year.
Women are not funny. We’ve heard a lot this year about locker room talk. If there is an opposite of that, it’s girl talk. Girl talk is not what you think it might be—sure we might talk about shopping from time to time, but when a group of women gets together over lunch, the conversations are funny. There are no taboo topics of discussion and without the prying ears of boys, we can share our deepest darkest secrets. 😉
Wax on. Wax off. Would there be a Karate Kid without Mr. Miyagi? Luke Skywalker without Yoda? One obstacle women encounter in the workforce is a lack of female mentors in top career positions. For every Sheryl Sandberg and Hillary Clinton, there are hundreds of their male counterparts. In fact, women hold only 4.4% of CEO positions in the S&P 500. For this reason, I feel extremely fortunate to work for a female owned and led company—where my mentors include not one or two but eight strong women that support one another, share opinions and encourage personal and professional growth.
Originally written for the Gambel PR blog, here.