Take Back Your Power

Learn to win on a playing field that’s tilted against you.

The well-documented power imbalance in business places women at a disadvantage. Sociological research shows women receive more critical feedback in performance reviews than men and are demonstrably less likely to be hired, promoted and given access to venture capital than equivalently qualified men.

Women face even more challenges after they have children. Mothers live under different expectations in the workplace than fathers, and although men and women earn about the same salary before the birth of their first child, women’s earnings tend to decrease significantly after they give birth. Even in the post-pandemic world, women in families where both parents work still hold responsibility for the vast majority of household chores and parenting responsibilities. Surveys suggest 86% of working mothers manage all household and family responsibilities.

Because women are held to different standards than men, they often don’t seek power. Women are also socialized not to seek power. Women don’t have as many doors open to them as men do, and this isn’t likely to change soon. Women must first understand the...