International Women’s Day 2024

This international women’s day I’m going to be honest, I feel fatigued. Personally I’ve had a lot of challenges to overcome. Professionally, I’ve recently returned to work after maternity leave with my third child, my very handsome son.

I can speak from my personal experiences as a working mother, a professional, a woman in financial services. I keep reflecting on the question - have we made tangible progress towards a more level playing field for women?

I can relate to imposter syndrome, confidence being a challenge and feeling the need to prove your worth or prove you deserve the seat at the table that you’ve already been given.

I can relate to tiredness, the ‘juggle’ of a working mum who wants to show she’s just as committed as everyone else.

I can relate to being one of very few women in the room and more often than not the only black woman in the room.

I can relate to the reality that as a woman we can’t have it all, but why would we want it all? And by all I mean the things we’ve somehow picked up over our life journeys that have become expectations and a benchmark for measuring success.  So called perfection, the always present mum, CEO potential with a career trajectory to ‘die for’, well put together at all times, best of friend with time for catch-ups, amazing wife, and the list just goes on..

Saying all that I’m incredibly grateful for all that I have and the opportunities I’ve been given, but I keep finding myself reflecting on the fact that the working world seems at odds with the needs of working women.

Next post will run through the actions have I taken personally as a busy working mum.