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Women supporting other women is about nurturing a culture of empowerment and synergy rather than competition.

Inspiring one another in the workplace, society, and personal life will help create opportunities, overcome obstacles, and drive impactful change. By being allies, mentoring one another, championing, and celebrating each other's achievements and success, women can collectively rise and fight against gender bias.

True empowerment comes when women stand together and uplift each other as they climb.

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The Challenges

Women face different challenges in different job sectors, but no matter the hurdle, if they have support from their fellow women, they can overcome it. The lack of support among women in the workplace can lead to a toxic work environment, poor mental health, and scarce career opportunities.  

Women often feel pressurised to prove their worth like their male counterparts due to the competitive and patriarchal nature of the workspace which hinders support and collaboration amongst each other. But when they unite, they foster an innovative, empowering work environment where everyone can thrive.

To tackle this lack of support among women in the workplace, we need to take inclusive approaches that include cultivating supportive, empowering, and collaborative networks, championing gender equality, and raising awareness of unconscious biases.

To break away from this, women and organisations should advocate for gender equality and create a culture that encourages women to support each other.

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Ways women can support each other and how organisations can help:

Network

One of the ways women can support each other is by networking with other women in their workplace and outside. Building connections with other women helps them have support and navigate their careers effectively and efficiently and helps them meet the right kind of people. Through networking women can:

- Gain access to new job opportunities.

- Collaborate with one another.

- Will help them create a group of professionals who offer guidance, provide wisdom, and recommendations

- This will help them find career growth in their domain and expand new domains and opportunities.

Mentorship and Sponsorship

Never underestimate the value of your input, no matter what point in your career you are at. If you are a senior at your job, go beyond just offering guidance. Use your influence to advocate for your mentee/mentees.

An incredible way for female leaders to help women who are early in their careers is through sponsorship. This helps them gain new opportunities, connect with important people in the industry and provide direct action to advance their careers.

Women encounter difficult obstacles in their professional lives, such as gender bias, juggling work and personal responsibilities, and nuanced insults. Female mentorship creates an environment where women can candidly discuss these issues and receive advice on how to tackle them.

- Mentors can offer emotional support and tips on how to overcome these challenges by sharing their journeys and perspectives on how they faced these and other challenges.

- Women learn strategies on how to combat tough obstacles at work, such as negotiating salary, addressing discrimination and handling workplace politics. This helps them become prepared to manage these barriers in their careers.

Celebrate their Accomplishments

Women celebrating and acknowledging each other's accomplishments promotes a positive and motivating environment. When women acknowledge each other’s accomplishments it not only boosts solidarity but also fosters collaboration.

This strengthens the success of the team by motivating everyone to thrive improving productivity and job satisfaction.

Support and Speak Out for Each Other

Women supporting each other in discussions and meetings create an inclusive and safe environment. Women can create a more collaborative environment by speaking up for other women and supporting/promoting their ideas. When a woman is interrupted, interject and say you’d like to hear her finish.

When you advocate for your female co-workers, they benefit—and you’re seen as a leader. Moreover, meetings are most effective when everyone’s best thinking is heard.

Indra Nooyi former CEO of PepsiCo was quoted in an article for FastCompany taken from an excerpt from her book "My Life in Full: Work, Family, and Our Future"

"Once, Sharon Rockefeller, who was a valuable board member for almost 30 years, had had enough: I watched her tell one of the men that his behaviour of interrupting her constantly had to stop. She was direct, firm, and public. Everyone got the message. Every board needs a Sharon Rockefeller."

Diversity and Inclusion

Supporting women from all walks of life and various backgrounds through mentorship and sponsorship initiatives, providing accessible platforms for skill-building and networking, and creating a diverse and inclusive environment where they can thrive, and their contributions are valued and recognised will destroy the systemic inequalities that hamper their growth.

Leadership Training and Growth

Building self-confidence and leadership qualities allows women to explore out of their comfort zones and rid themselves of social expectations and organisational pressures.

- Offering encouragement to women allows them to recognise their strengths and take greater risks with confidence.

- These qualities help women to pursue challenging projects and advocate for themselves.

- Women leaders show women that leadership is possible and that their voices are heard and valid in the workplace.

Encourage Women to Take Charge

Balancing family and work responsibilities is a challenge. So, to manage their time efficiently, they need to establish boundaries and prioritise their responsibilities. Remote, freelance, or hybrid work options that can be negotiated with the organisation will help women support their families and maintain their jobs.

Organisations empowering women to propel their careers will help them in their wellbeing and family lives. Acknowledging women for their achievements will encourage women to undertake challenging projects and voice their ideas and opinions in meetings, making them visible within their organisations.

This helps them make connections with important and influential people in the industries paving the way to new job opportunities and leadership positions.

Support Women Entrepreneurs

Investing in female-owned businesses is crucial for creating and growing economic opportunities and diversity in the business industry. Organizations and individuals can support through financial investment, mentorship, and creating accessible platforms to support female entrepreneurs.

The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women empowers women worldwide to start, sustain and grow successful businesses to live up to their full potential.

Share Your Knowledge

As a female business leader, sharing your knowledge and experiences is one of the best ways to support women in business. This can help other women to come up with strategies to tackle difficult challenges. By participating in women’s networking events, these leaders can guide and inspire the next generation of women in business.

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A personal experience

"Sarah Tijou, VP Communications at Panelle, has been an amazing mentor to me. Her leadership, insightful feedback, and unique perspective have guided me through challenges and helped me learn and grow.

She has a remarkable ability to create a comfortable, welcoming environment that has allowed me to feel at ease and supported. Her approach has truly shaped my perspective and professional development."

Final Thoughts

Uniting women together is not an impossible challenge. Bringing about change begins with taking responsibility for your actions and voluntarily deciding to support and empower each other.

Women must be willing to have candid conversations about the barriers that divide us and work collaboratively to create solutions. Only by standing together and embracing our shared vision for a better future can we break down the barriers that have held us back for so long.

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