I wish there were days when women should be responsible for running fifty percent of the countries of the world. I wish there was a time when women held the top positions of fifty percent of the companies in the world. If that could happen, it would surely be a better world.
She is the architect of Facebook. Sheryl Sandberg, who joins the company’s Board of Directors as a director, is ranked among the world’s top industrialists. Since 2008, she is the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook. She knows more well what it means to be a female officer. In one of his speeches, he analyzed working women and the working environment. Excerpts from this speech:
Our irony
First of all, accept the fact that you are lucky that there are a lot of opportunities in your era. Just like men, you have the freedom to choose your career, the right to take decisions. Did your mother or grandmother get similar opportunities? Strange irony, where in some parts of the world women have got equal rights as men, in some places women are deprived of their fundamental rights.
Women on top
If we look at all the countries of the world, then it is found that very few women hold the top positions. In a total of 190 heads of state in the world, women hold this position in only nine countries. Only 13 percent of women worldwide have reached the parliament of their country. The situation of women in the corporate sector is also not very good. Even in the non-profit sector, only 20 percent women have reached the top positions. These figures are disappointing in terms of population.
Tough election
Women have to make very difficult choices between their promotion and personal life. How do we change this environment? First of all, we have to increase the number of women at the workplace. If you look at the list of CEOs of companies, you will find that the number of women is very less. what can we do? I also have no exact answer to this. When I was coming for this conference, my three-year-old daughter hugged me. She said, Mom don’t you go, she started crying. It is very difficult. Sometimes I feel guilty. Perhaps you will feel the same.
Trust yourself
If you work, then you have to pay attention to some special things. One advice is to never underestimate yourself. A few days ago Facebook called a senior government official for a meeting. We started the meeting. He was accompanied by two women, holding senior positions in his department. I asked them to also participate in the discussion with us. But she sat down separately. The problem is that women themselves underestimate their abilities, while men tend to be over-confident about their abilities
Value yourself
Most women do not talk openly to management about their positions and salaries. According to a study, 57 percent of boys in the US discuss salary with management before pursuing their first job, while the number of women is only seven percent. Likewise, most men give themselves credit for success. They proudly say that they have gained due to their ability, while women are hesitant to give themselves credit for their progress. You should have the courage to say your words. If you think that you have less capacity than others, then why would others value you? We have to explain this to our daughters and colleagues as well.
Equal responsibility
I know that most working women work more at home than men. Even in the matter of child care, women work three times more than their husbands. You share equal responsibility with your life partner. I have seen that in homes where husband and wife share equal responsibility, their life is much happier and there is very less possibility of divorce among them. We put more pressure on our sons to progress than our daughters. It simply means that we differentiate between sons and daughters.
Don’t back down
When a woman marries and thinks about becoming a mother, the first thought in her mind is that now I have to leave the job. She feels that when she is a child she will not be able to work on a challenging project. From the same day she starts ignoring her ambitions. She starts thinking about raising the baby for nine months and thereafter. I am a mother of two children. I can say from my experience that it is more pleasant to go home from office after having a child. You must realize that you are doing something different.
Hope left
I don’t think I will be able to see the day when 50 per cent of women in the corporate world are in top positions. But hopefully, the coming generations will live that happy period. I wish, the day came when 50 percent of the countries of the world should be responsible for women. When women hold the top positions of 50 percent of the companies in the world. If it did, it would be a better world. I have a son and a daughter. I want my son to bear equal responsibility both at home and abroad and my daughter should be honored for her achievements.