🎨 How We Built the World of (In)equality and (Ex)inclusion: My Critical Reflection

At a glance:

• Why this post?
• My view on what’s working and what’s not.
• Invitation to reflect on the equality we build in today’s world.

Today, a bit of reflection.

This will not be a traditional post to encourage you to act in your own life, but rather to reflect and think about where the world is placed on the journey of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), specifically around women empowerment.

Some time ago, a former colleague reached out on LinkedIn to solicit my thoughts on a widely discussed topic: women's empowerment and the role that the consulting and corporate sectors should play in facilitating women's career growth.

My perspective might be seen as somewhat controversial, or perhaps it simply diverges from the prevailing currents within the marketplace. 

Many companies try to help women in business by creating special programs that make it easier for them to join and stay at the company, especially after having a baby. For example, some companies stop hiring men for a while or make sure they hire as many women as men. There are special programs supporting them specifically in achieving healthy work-life balance and possibilities of making a career while also being a mother.

However, I'm not sure these forced methods are the right way to go.

 I believe real change happens when people change, not just when systems change. 

In my view, everything boils down to the people involved. No policy will work if the people in the company don't truly believe in it. You can try as hard as you like, but nothing will change if everyone's mindset and approach don't align. Many consulting firms, private equity firms, and law offices have established really unhealthy work practices over the years—practices that are not only accepted but often encouraged. When someone tries to do things differently, it’s usually not welcomed and might even be seen as poor performance. So, employees end up adopting these bad habits and keep repeating them. It's a cycle that just keeps going. And this issue isn’t only about women; it’s about respecting everyone’s life and changing the everyday work culture. Women are often discussed in this context because they're traditionally viewed as the primary caregivers for children.

But here's a tough question - if a person doesn’t have kids, should he have to work extra hours? Should we expect them to work longer or travel more? Should them miss out on the benefits that a woman with kids gets? Why should that be the case? I believe everyone should have the same rights. Just because someone doesn’t have kids doesn’t mean they don’t have other responsibilities like a pet, a nephew, or elderly parents to care for. We often focus on women because they are usually seen as the main caregivers for children. But people have many other responsibilities that companies don’t always recognize. Why is that?

In most offices, everyone acts like everything is super urgent and deadlines are set in stone—as if everyone was saving lives like doctors. This kind of work culture really needs to change for other improvements to happen too. But changing just one company won’t make much of a difference because if that company says no to a customer, the customer will just go to another company. This cycle continues. For real change, the whole market needs to shift its priorities and start valuing life more. This change will likely take a long time to happen.

This is also a big reason why I left the consulting world. I wanted to work differently. I don’t think those companies are ready to change yet, at least not as much as I think is needed. I didn’t want to spend all my energy fighting a system that’s so hard to change by myself. Maybe my views will change one day, depending on how the world changes.

 Do I think we can make a difference? Yes, I do. Here are five big changes I would make to improve the workplace for everyone, not just for mothers. These changes won't happen overnight; they are deep and fundamental shifts.

 Treat everyone the same: Instead of giving special treatment to certain groups, everyone should be treated equally. Giving special privileges to some people can cause jealousy or even dislike among others. Everyone should get support when they need it, whether it's for taking care of a child, a parent, or themselves. I know this might be a controversial opinion, but I believe focusing on group privileges only adds to discrimination.

Build trust: This could be through offering remote or hybrid work options, or even unlimited vacation days. Many companies have shown that when they trust their employees with these perks, they aren't taken advantage of. For instance, the idea of a 4-day work week sounds great, and I'm excited to try it out.

Leaders need to lead by example: This is probably the toughest part because old habits are hard to break. Leaders should set the standard by showing the kind of work behavior they expect from their team. Change might start with just one person who sets a good example, and hopefully, others will follow. I’m not sure if this will be enough to change industries like consulting, but I hope it might.

Encourage self-respect and confidence: Everyone should know their own value and stand up for themselves. This starts with leaders setting a good example, as mentioned earlier.

Choose free choice over forced quotas: I think quotas actually make discrimination worse. They don't really solve the problem; they just make it different. I don’t get why companies force quotas, like making sure a certain number of women are hired just because they are women. This doesn’t really help anyone. Instead, we should create a workplace where everyone can thrive without needing special rules. If we're talking about quotas, why aren’t they used in places like kindergartens, hospitals, construction sites, or the military? This focus usually falls on areas like tech and consulting, where it might not even be the best approach. 

Maybe women just make smarter choices, picking careers that are healthier and better for the long run. Maybe they value different things.

I believe anything is possible. If women trust in themselves, they can achieve great things, without needing any special treatment or stopping men from getting jobs. We're all unique, and women are often very strong mentally. We want to choose our own careers and build our lives our way. We don't want to be seen as having an easy route to success just because of special rules. We deserve our achievements. Telling a man he can't advance because we need more women in leadership roles isn't fair to anyone. It undermines women's real successes. Unfortunately, this happens a lot in businesses.