Author: Mingming Jia
What does it mean to be a businesswoman? For Irene, it means overcoming persistent suffering and pain.
“Isn’t it wondrous how women, despite having to endure physical discomfort on a repeating basis, still manage to recover every single time? ”
Irene has been in the financial industry ever since her college graduation. In August, she will be heading back to Beijing for her new product manager position at Genki Forest, a beverage company known for its zero-calorie sparkling water. Having witnessed many women in her exact position, she told us how gender identity still puts females in an inferior position.
In one of her stories, Irene was proposing to aid fresh female graduates who had just entered the industry when a male on the scene refuted by claiming that women in financial institutions were by no means minor to men. In fact, he said, women were somewhat superior to men considering the quota for female board members.
“I was appalled at his ignorance, yet at the same time, I realized how regardless of all efforts we had made to promote gender equality in the workplace, they remained nowhere near to eliminating oppression.”
Irene added that besides their struggles being shrugged off, women in the workplace are often sexualized, objectified and treated as stereotypes. When looking for an internship opportunity, Irene was once rejected because of her appearance. “The recruiter said I was too pretty, and that pretty girls are never good at their jobs.”
Social norms haunt businesswomen in their pursuit of careers. Women are expected to fall short of men when it comes to heavy tasks; companies are reluctant to hire female members because of the extra labor cost that comes with “expectable” pregnancy leaves. Irene refuses to comply with these norms. Pregnancy, as she put it, is a blessing, a birthright. She referred to a report in which female stock analysts often give more accurate analyses.
“The fact that women have the will to carry on and oftentimes outperform men proves just how impressive our capabilities can be. I mean look at us, we bleed non-stop for a week every month.”
Growing up in an open family, Irene considered herself lucky. Meantime, many other girls are indoctrinated to ignore the presence of negative social norms and are thereby doomed to repeat their parents’ fate. Irene told us she will do her utmost to help oppressed women in the workplace, but in the end, she alone could only do so much. “We have quotas for females. We’re shoved into the board positions, then what? They’re only gonna see us as being unqualified. Procedural justice is absent from this industry.” She proposed that equal opportunities should be given to men and women in all areas, including education, daily life and beyond. Irene described this process as being “extensive, painful but necessary.”
Nevertheless, gender identity isn’t the only thing that conforms to social norms in Irene’s industry. Majoring in marketing in college, Irene saw most of her fellow students entering investment banks and becoming consultants or venture capitalists, VCs, even when they resented the jobs. She attributed the phenomenon to the nature of these jobs. “These are fashionable positions with large paychecks for sure, but many people take them before figuring out what they really want. They do it so that family members would praise them when raising a toast or that their friends would toss out an envious look when they describe their jobs to them,” Irene said.
After graduation, Irene joined one of the largest Artificial Intelligence companies in Asia where she worked as a consultant in the strategic department. It didn’t take long before she left. When asked why, Irene explained how she felt “her passion deprived” when doing the job. “You need to ‘think inside the box’ to become a good consultant. Sounds counterintuitive, but that’s what companies look for, a framework, not creativity,” she said, “they offered me a pretty good salary, but truth to be told, I don’t want to waste time on some tedious work I don’t find interest in. ” For most college graduates, consultants and VCs are their top prospect positions. For people like Irene, choosing a divergent path isn’t easy.
Irene recalled being told that “only those who aren’t qualified to be consultants and VCs become product managers.” In real-life scenarios, passion is nothing but an impediment to success. Again, Irene rebelled the norms. “I don’t see how the three jobs are related in the way they put it. I can be a good product manager and a decent consultant at the same time. The only reason that drives me to become the former is passion, and I don’t regret my choice,” Irene told us.
As for the future, Irene told us she’d start by taking that new job. She’s excited about her new journey and the anticipation it has brought her. On top of that, she’s seeking means to help female employees in her industry. “Much work is needed before equality is reached,” said Irene, “but I like my odds.”
During one of her company visits, Irene was told by a senior executive that she looked familiar when her mentor teased about the two knowing each other in private. Irene felt insulted, but she remained reticent. She didn’t know what to say. But through this incident, she became aware of the unconcern with which many regarded gender discrimination. She was to rebel against the social norms.
“Awareness first, then we can think about how to change. Society told me to become a consultant so that I’d get rich. I refused. The industry told me to be ashamed of my physical processes. I refused. Now it’s telling me to shut up. I’ll just refuse again. ”