Today is not International Women’s Day

A friend of mine was recently described as ‘her own woman’ by a mutual acquaintance.

Diversity is a fact. Inclusion is a choice. An active, constant, deliberate choice.

What does that even mean?

Don’t answer that: it’s a rhetorical question.

It means exactly what ‘feisty’ means.

Or ‘bubbly’.

It may not convey the same value-judgment, but mechanically speaking it is the same thing: the use of a word otherwise used to describe a small child or a pet to describe a grown woman in a professional setting.

The woman in question had not done anything other than exist prior to her being declared ‘her own woman’.

Charming.

Oh, not a big deal, you’re probably thinking. And you would be right.

They didn’t mean anything by it, you are probably thinking. And you may be right. But you don’t know that. You can’t know that.

I’ll tell you what you can know because it’s verifiable.

Women are approximately 50% of the world’s population and just under half the workforce in advanced economies and across financial services but hold about 36% of senior roles and under one in four board roles.

And if you just had a moment thinking, “Hey, those numbers are not as bad as I had expected,” then welcome to our therapy group.

Both because if we are 50% of the population, the only acceptable number for female representation across any vertical where women choose to participate is… 50%.

What if women don’t want the top jobs though? What if they opt out because they prefer the alternative? What if they prefer the caring professions?

Good questions, all of them.

But they are rhetorical, right?

You don’t need me to talk about how finance has about a 50/50 gender split across the board but the bosses are overwhelmingly male.

Or do you?

You don’t need me to point out that those numbers are even lower in fintech: with 30% of the workforce being women and 17% of senior roles going to women. 12% if you are looking at co-founders. 10% of board seats, before you ask.

I am assuming you were going to ask.

Because it’s not a rhetorical question, is it?

So let me ask you a question that also isn’t rhetorical: why do we have diversity and inclusion initiatives?

Say the words out loud.

Because 1) we have a diversity and inclusion problem, and 2) because said problem is a business problem: diverse companies perform better.

It’s not about fairness alone. It’s also about the bottom line.

So as you go about your days, please do me a favour and remember that when we are asking for a seat at the table (and I am not just talking about women here: I am talking about the totality of humanity in all its glorious diversity), we are not asking for a good deed.

We are not asking for a concession.

We are asking for fairness so that we can do the voodoo that ensures companies with diverse workforces outperform their peers. Every. Bloody. Time.

Oh, and one more thing. As you go about your day. This day, an average day. Not International Women’s Day or Pride or Black History Month. A day when nobody asked you to produce social media posts in vague solidarity using a corporate comms-issued hashtag. On this average day when you are not virtue signalling, remember this one thing.

Diversity is a fact.

Inclusion is a choice.

An active, constant, deliberate choice.

You either make it every day of your life, no matter what you look like, for everyone, or you are part of the problem.

#LedaWrites

Leda Glyptis is FinTech Futures’ resident thought provocateur – she leads, writes on, lives and breathes transformation and digital disruption.

She is a recovering banker, lapsed academic and long-term resident of the banking ecosystem. 

Leda is also a published author – her first book, Bankers Like Us: Dispatches from an Industry in Transition, is available to order here.

All opinions are her own. You can’t have them – but you are welcome to debate and comment!

Follow Leda on X @LedaGlyptis and LinkedIn.