Patriarchy, Let My People Go!!! Preparing for a Recession and A Girl's Guide To The C-Suite
Gaining freedom from patriarchy will not be easy. Are You Prepared For The Economic Downturn or Are You Working Your Way Into The C-Suite?
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I have been thinking about the deep indoctrination of women into patriarchy. Every aspect of the world has been warped by the male lens. Even when you do not have your human rights blatantly taken away for you, patriarchy, like cancer, will adapt and morph into more elusive forms when you try to battle it.
This year, we witnessed the decimation of women’s rights in Afghanistan within less than a week. That event highlighted how fragile female rights are when confronted with male violence. If you are a woman that lives in a part of the world where you have rights, do not take that victory for granted. Do not undermine that victory by contorting yourself to gain male validation.
I understand the biological hardwiring plays a role in our desire for male approval. For our primitive ancestors, a competent male was tantamount to survival. And unfortunately, we are still running on centuries-old hardware. This circumstance is partially the same for men. A beautiful woman wanting to create a child with him triggers his deep biological instinct for survival. However, men only seek female validation, in so far as it gains them more approval from men. A women signals your abilities to other men.
It seems like we are all playing a game with the end goal of male approval. I chose, some years ago, to stop playing that game.
I FOUGHT SOOO HARD FOR THE LIFE THAT I HAVE NOW. I worked my ass off for years to get to become an engineer and travel the world. I have been going through a period where women in my life have been telling me about finding someone. I have not enjoyed my life, yet I should undermine my progress because I do not have a partner.
My greatest confusion is when women assign themselves the role of supporting character in their narrative. It is as if, even when allowed to self-actualize, a large slot of women can only imagine themselves in relation to a male lead.
I refuse to surrender my life and happiness on the altar of male approval. I decline any validation that requires that I contort myself into a mirage that some man finds appealing. I want to live a life in service of my self-prescribed ideal and values, not society’s. I want freedom from the malignant patriarchy.
I understand that this means that I will get off the beauty bandwagon. I have not, and will not, invest any of my income to look appealing to men wealthier than me. I will not restrict myself to “female” actives that require that I always look desirable. I will not hesitate to respond with violence when threatened, because no other man is coming to save me. I refuse to be gaslit into believing that there is some magical man that will “complete” me, when all my experiences say otherwise.
I suggest that other women adopt this mindset. Do not accept the status quo. The only reason men dominated us was that they were willing to use violence, that we could not reciprocate. They all knew intuitively to deny women education, voting rights, reproductive rights, etc. The moment women go access to education, we began to outperform them.
I refuse to be subjected by this class of people that I know that I am superior to. I also refuse to be shamed into subjugation.
PATRIARCHY, LET MY PEOPLE GO !!!
How Are You Preparing For The Global Economic Downturn
Whether it is the Evergreen debacle, the energy crises, the supply chain debacle, the worker shortage, or the climate crises. Let me explain!
The Evergrande crisis: Evergrande is one of China’s largest real estate developers. In recent years, its debts have ballooned as it has borrowed to finance numerous ventures such as theme parks, a soccer team, electronic vehicles, etc. The Evergrande group because china’s most indebted developer. The company ran into trouble when it disclosed that it was having challenges finding buyers of its assets. The Evergrande group’s challenges are emblematic of the underlying risks in China.
The Supply Chain crises: A combination of the COVID-19 pandemic fallout, a shortage of workers at the ports, the just-in-time business model that leaves no room for error, and an increase in consumer goods spending has led to a supply chain crisis.
The Worker Shortage: In a post-pandemic world, leverage has moved into the hands of workers. These workers are striking, demanding better pay, and quitting jobs that no longer serve them.
So, what are some smart financial decisions that you can make to prepare for the impending economic situation:
Pay up any high-interest debts like credit cards debts. Paying off your debts should boost your credit score.
In such situations, CASH IS KING. Refill your emergency fund. Having at least one year of living expenses would be ideal.
Reduce any unnecessary overhead or spend! If possible, find ways to supplement your income.
Once you have enough money in your emergency fund, wait for the impending stock market crash. That would be an opportunity for you to invest in the market while the prices are low.
Lastly, learn new skills and be willing to pivot. During this time, you can increase your intellectual capital by developing new skills that complement your field of work.
Girl Guide To Game: Fast Track To The C-Suite
I once lived in a building with a very impressive woman working at its front desk. She was the building manager. She had this uncanny ability to communicate with people from multiple different backgrounds and could always find common ground. She was very good at what she did. I thought to myself, if she had high ambitions, she could have used her organisational and communication skills to become the Chief of People or Chief of Staff at a tech company. We were in Silicon Valley and she could have done so at a tech startup. To live in my building, you had to make 3X the outrageous rent. So, she knew the incomes and rent of the numerous tenants working in the building. She could have easily leveraged that information and her communication skills to position herself for such an opportunity.
I write this because I have seen highly skilled women not have impressive careers because they lack the foresight to properly leverage their skills. So, I compiled a series of examples and real-life career paths that I have seen people take, especially in tech to move up to the C-Suite.
For my finance and legal girls, I think you still need to grind it out and progress through the career ladder. I do not know of any career shortcuts. However, these are some that I have seen in other areas. Lastly, this is a working document, so it is not (and might never be complete). However, I want people to use this document as a blueprint.
Lastly, for this to work, you have to be willing to job hop every 2-3 years. Staying in one company for longer stunts your career growth. I want more women with skills similar to those of the ladies at the front desk to get into the C-Suite….
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