Ten Things Women Are Afraid Of
What are those ten things women are afraid of? Self-doubt, uncertainty and trepidation, to name only a few, are all parts of being in business, particularly in the early days when your world doesn’t seem as clear as you would like it to. These feelings are natural when we launch into the unknown. However, far too many women allow them to determine most things they do.
The statistics about women in business in Australia show significant increase in the number of us who operate our own businesses. This has steadily increased over the last 20 years. The number of women in self-employment has steadily increased at a faster rate than men. (Although most men still dominate the business sector)
Because of the huge inequality in pay and career progression between the genders, the current trend is to reverse this problem for a range of critical reasons. Not withstanding that women mostly make better leaders!
Eventually we should aim to stop referring to ‘women’ entrepreneurs. We need to simply note that there are segments of people within the population who are entrepreneurial and whose gender is no longer of interest
Source: https://www.pmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/publications/profile_of_australian_women_in_business.pdf
Gender inequality has left women on the back burner in many ways. Often our greatest inhibitor is fear. Because we allow ourselves to be plagued about many things that keep us disadvantaged.
Test: Give yourself a score out of ten for each of the ten items below. Ten means you are great. Then really think about what areas you need to improve to be happier in your skin as a person and as a woman.
10 things of which we are Afraid
- Claiming our success: When we do well, we always attribute it to others.
- Standing up for ourselves: We don’t always have a voice or put our viewpoint across when we should. Many women allow others to walk over them or get the promotion when they should have been appointed in the role.
- Fighting everyday sexism: At work, in the supermarket, at home, on the street. Stand tall ladies! Claim your space!
- Annoying people: Named ‘the fairer sex’, we don’t want to offend or upset others, make a point to make or express our strong feelings about something (even if we are right).
- Being judged: Being put in a pigeon hole for things we do, things we say, how we look.
- Travelling on our own: Scary. It’s sad as travelling alone and being free in the world should be something on which both sexes thrive, but research tells us women don’t like travelling alone.
- Looking how we want to: Guided by social norms and the opinions of others, we conform. To what others want, decide and demand. In that process, we often lose ourselves, who we are and what we really want to do in this life.
- Following our dreams: Many of us are too busy helping others follow theirs and we forget to nurture ours. This can be both as mothers and wives.
- Speaking Out: Putting our true viewpoints and thoughts across is something many of us struggle with. Whether it’s because we want to ‘keep the peace’ or ‘not make any waves’ we don’t say how we really feel about many things or defend values that mean much to us.
- Failure: So busy concentrating on being perfect and the best mother, wife, daughter and sister, we often don’t live up to our own standards and think we fail before we start.
Last but not the least
Don’t let fear dictate how you are at work or in your business. Stand tall, realizing that you are exactly at a point in your career where you need to be. Also consider any of these ten aspects on which you must work and improve
Go out and get life!