by Isabelle Pujol
I joined the Heim Group in October 1995 to introduce GenderSpeak in Europe, and since that time, I am amazed by the growing number of press and media coverage on the gender topic.
Not a day passes without the advertisement of conferences, surveys, training and books dedicated to the issue of gender differences. Last Sunday evening, my husband and I watched the program “Capital” on M6, one of the key TV channels in France. Every week, this “prime-time” broadcast focuses on a current societal issue with the input of journalists, political and academic experts, as well as men and women from the business world. We were first struck by the title of the segment: “Woman or Boss: Do You Need to Choose?” Different issues were raised such as the challenge for women to maintain their work-life balance, the reality of the pay gap or the difficulty and barriers for women to be successful in a typical male job. The interesting part started when one female participant raised the issue of gender differences and the importance of understanding and valuing them as opposed to just pretending they don’t exist. She shared various examples based on her personal experience in the workplace. She didn’t know why, but after receiving a promotion, she recognized that often her female colleagues were becoming her enemies. She said it was very disruptive and she had to use a lot of energy to face this dynamic. I am very excited about the possibilities of making GenderSpeak known in Europe. It will provide fantastic support and increase communication & understanding for both men and women.