Confidence (Pt. 2!)

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In our last blog it was clearly established that a gap in confidence exists between men and women, and while men are affected by confidence blips, they seem to recover and bull onward, mostly unscathed. Women too often get discouraged, and this becomes a major stumbling block to success on many levels.

So what to do with this problem? Or rather, this challenge, as we prefer to call it. Isn’t it always how well we make lemonade with the lemons we’re dealt that dictates our character and further, our path to success?

Attitudes and Inspiration Start at Home

Hopefully our generation, as well as our children’s generation, is moving towards closing this confidence gap and the inherent inequities it causes. Confidence building starts in infancy and progresses into and through early childhood. It is incumbent upon us as parents to love our little girls unconditionally, smile and coddle them, and lend positive reinforcement as well as well placed corrective guidance, giving them a "leg up" as much as is possible. 

This self-esteem nurturing can take many different forms. Keeping doors of communication open are essential, but more than anything we need to teach through our actions. Women are by nature, nurturers, and have the innate capacity to shape their children’s early lives, but men have this responsibility as well.

Fathers usually have a special relationship with their daughters and little girls learn firsthand how men treat women from dad. Men need to teach their daughters that they can command respect, but also walk away from any situation if it need be.

As parents, we need to form a united front, together reassuring our daughters that they, too, can reach for the stars.  If you can dream it, it can become your reality. At the same time, sons need to be taught to respect women, as they are just as competitive, smart, talented and deserving as men are. For all kids, when small goals are achieved, they should be celebrated.

Role Models for Secondary Inspiration

In a world where competition abounds and survival of the fittest is the norm, women now comprise 50% of the working population. More than ever, this confidence gap between the sexes needs to be narrowed.  

While not the first by any stretch, Mary Tyler Moore comes to mind for me as an early media pioneer who showed that women could be equals, if not even supersede their male counterparts in a competitive industry. And it needs to be noted that with all her successes came many failures. Obviously she persevered, paving the way for other females like Diane Sawyer, Jane Fonda, Marlo Thomas and Hillary Clinton to name a few, to make their mark in various powerful, male dominated arenas.

In a more recent success story, Sheryl Sandburg became the COO of Facebook, is listed as one of Time 100’s most Influential People, and is now a billionaire and the author of “Lean In”. Her book targets the professional woman, encouraging the achievement of her career goals, as well as men who want to contribute to a more equitable society. Sheryl also explores barriers like discrimination, sexism and sexual harassment that prevent women from taking leadership roles in the workplace.

Look Better, Feel Better, Live Better

Old fashioned, male-dominant attitudes are beginning to be challenged and brought out into the open. Women have a long journey and a lot of work ahead of them to even the score, but it begins with baby steps, many of which are being taken as we speak. For those of us who don’t aspire to be Corporate Titans, raising a generation of children who expect equality and will settle for nothing less can be our humble first step.

         “A truly equal world would be one where women ran half our      countries and companies and men ran half our homes.”

                                                               Sheryl Sandburg, from “Lean In”   
                                    

PS: Who is your female role model and why? Tell us about your inspiration...