It's a man's world

“This is a man’s world, this is a man’s world/ But it wouldn’t be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl”

These were the wise words sang by the legendary “Godfather of soul”, James Brown. Brown wasn’t too far off, but I can’t help but object – that’s only because men had a head start (no, I am not just saying this to console myself). This song has been playing in my head like a stuck record all week mainly due to the overwhelming number of males I’ve encountered this week when I started my first day of work in Jo’burg. I suddenly found myself adjusting my voice to sound little deeper, or quickly turning around to google a few facts about the cricket world cup, or the results of last night’s Barcelona vs Arsenal game...and when all else fails, I’ve decided to add the occasional “I know hey!” when somebody mentions how “Player A” was in good form or how “Player B” was offside (*names have been changed to protect the individuals’ identity). Ok, back to the principle of this article...

So Brown confidently lists the wonders that men have made; “cars that take us over the road...trains to carry heavy loads...electric lights that take us out of the dark...boat for the water...” As I listen to this song I think about what women have made in the past million years, then I come to an epiphany (word used for dramatic effect): it was a woman who made that man who made that car, boat, light bulb, train, so I came to a realisation, Brown and I have been on the same page the whole time! He was talking about gender equality!

On paper it all sounds good, this gender equality thing but in reality it’s not that simple. While women are trying to step up and compete with their male counter parts, they still have to report to other duties outside of work; being a wife, a mother, or both. The reality of this struck me while we were busy in a meeting and one of my colleagues asked to be excused so she could go pick up her son from school before it got too late. This got me wondering; how much would I, as a woman have to sacrifice to climb up this corporate ladder? I need some inspiration!*cues for Alicia Keys’ “Superwoman”*…