Photo: CNN This Is Money
Though only 16 percent of senior executives in the automotive sector are women, Linda Jackson, Global Chief Executive for Citroen, wants the world and fellow female workers to know that the glass ceiling isn’t impenetrable.
She is the very example of that, she said at the Great British Woman in the Car Industry Awards in London last night, as cited by the Daily Mail.
It’s a shame, then, that militants have hijacked feminism, by turning it into something both women and men avoid. She’s probably referring to excessive media attention to feminist manifestations and the still-widely spread belief that feminism means women think themselves better than men.
Feminism, Jackson explains, is all about equality and equal chances, be it in the workplace or in society in general. She is a middle-class British woman running a successful French company: if she’s not the living example that women can be just as good as men if given the chance, then no one is.
“It stuns me when I hear some women claim they aren't feminists because of how the term has been misused. It has unfortunately garnered a militant edge with negative connotations which has hijacked the force for good and change that it should be,” Jackson says.
“We must avoid alienating areas of society with the way we approach these important issues. Those who shout loudest and most forcibly must not be allowed to forge their own path. Feminism literally means the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of the equality of the sexes,” she continues. “There's a concern that the ultimate goal of equality is blown off course by a confusion over what feminism means.”
Of course, this confusion has nothing to do with feminism itself, but rather with those who come into contact with the ever-more powerful movement and their interpretation of it.
For her part, Jackson is doing all she can to help other women break the glass ceiling, while enforcing a more family-friendly working environment. This includes a strict “no e-mail at the weekend” policy, keeping to regular working hours, keeping meetings short and maintaining a working atmosphere geared towards the employee’s personal needs.
For her work with Citroen, Jackson was named the Most Influential British Woman in the global motor industry. The event was organized by specialized publication Autocar and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
It’s a shame, then, that militants have hijacked feminism, by turning it into something both women and men avoid. She’s probably referring to excessive media attention to feminist manifestations and the still-widely spread belief that feminism means women think themselves better than men.
Feminism, Jackson explains, is all about equality and equal chances, be it in the workplace or in society in general. She is a middle-class British woman running a successful French company: if she’s not the living example that women can be just as good as men if given the chance, then no one is.
“It stuns me when I hear some women claim they aren't feminists because of how the term has been misused. It has unfortunately garnered a militant edge with negative connotations which has hijacked the force for good and change that it should be,” Jackson says.
“We must avoid alienating areas of society with the way we approach these important issues. Those who shout loudest and most forcibly must not be allowed to forge their own path. Feminism literally means the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of the equality of the sexes,” she continues. “There's a concern that the ultimate goal of equality is blown off course by a confusion over what feminism means.”
Of course, this confusion has nothing to do with feminism itself, but rather with those who come into contact with the ever-more powerful movement and their interpretation of it.
For her part, Jackson is doing all she can to help other women break the glass ceiling, while enforcing a more family-friendly working environment. This includes a strict “no e-mail at the weekend” policy, keeping to regular working hours, keeping meetings short and maintaining a working atmosphere geared towards the employee’s personal needs.
For her work with Citroen, Jackson was named the Most Influential British Woman in the global motor industry. The event was organized by specialized publication Autocar and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
Google News