Women We Find Inspiring
In honor of National Women's History Month, we're dedicating this week to women empowerment. We're focusing on women's issues as well as ways to help other women.
You and me equals we. We equals you plus me. Whether you plan on starting your own company, becoming a homemaker, or a super hybrid of both, you always have to negotiate your role as one half a marriage unit.
So because it’s women’s week, we’ve gotten together a group of powerful married women. Some who have kids, some who don’t, some who work outside the home, and some who work in it. Here’s what they have to say:
Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer of Facebook and mother of two:
In her Ted Talk, her gave three points about succeeding in business and while we won’t all go into business, I think the first two points are relevant. They were 1) Sit at the Table 2) Make your partner a real partner. Women often undervalue themselves. Instead of sitting at the sidelines and always putting the needs of the love of your life ahead of yours, make sure that you two have equal voices in the relationship.
Jennifer Buffett, co-founder of NoVo Foundation:
NoVo Foundation’s top priorities include empowering women and girls as a strategy to end poverty. It also promotes healthy child development and stopping gender-based violence in the United States and globally, but there was a time she also felt stuck in her own marriage. Ten years in, she and her husband began having difficulties that evaporated when she began to assert herself.
In December 2011 Marie Claire interview, she states, “I don’t think the traditional female role serves us. I think it serves men,” she says. “When somebody is subordinating themselves, it’s just too easy for the other person to take them for granted and not value them. We need to start to say no. You think you’re being selfless in giving, but you’re being a martyr. Self-care is not a selfish act.”
Abbie Larson, co-founder of Style Me Pretty and mother of two:
Abbie Larson started Style Me Pretty in 2007 as a side project. Five years later, this website is one of the foremost wedding blogs. After the birth of their first child in 2008, her husband quit his tech job and joined her!
In an interview with Shape Magazine, she said this about her family, “because I run the business 50/50 with my husband, the balance of roles is much easier to manage. He gets up with the kids while I start working (or keep sleeping). The sitter starts at 8, then at 4 I close everything down and spend the rest of the evening with the babies. There are moments in every day where I am not sure that I will make it until 8PM when they are tucked sweetly in bed. And there are moments in every day where I honestly can’t believe my luck in scoring such a great job that allows me to be so close to the babies. It’s a dance, really. A very imperfect dance, not always a balanced dance, that we simply “make work” for us. And we’re grateful beyond belief.”
Posted by Natalie T.
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