BarcelonaA baby’s cry erupts for a few seconds in the Cercle d’Economy room where the debate “Leading the way: women who transform” is being held, and while his mother consoles him, the speakers ask him not to leave. For them, four women in positions of power, paving the way and transforming traditionally masculinized spaces has a lot to do with this, with supporting women who, with or without children, want to lead spaces that until recently were restricted.
They are Àngels Chacón, former Minister of Business of the Generalitat; Mar Alarcón, digital entrepreneur; Verónica Fumanal, political scientist and leadership expert; and Esther Vera, director of the newspaper ARA. During the debate, organized by the ARA with the sponsorship of McDonald’s and Phillip Morris, the speakers shared their experiences in an area where there is still a lot of work to be done: women are 18.8% on the boards of administration Following this pace, said the moderator of the event, journalist Carla Turró, it will take “40 years to reach the 40% recommended by European regulations”.
The four professionals agreed that female leadership does not exist, “but that there are as many leaderships as there are people”. “Leadership is as perfect or imperfect as the woman or man who exercises it, the problem is that women do not have the same opportunities”, defended Àngels Chacón. One of the reasons for this lack of opportunities, added Mar Alarcón, is that women have entered the labor market later. “They were there before and, since life expectancy is now longer, they are not leaving”, he said, before adding that, “just as men have done, women must do lobby female to help themselves and position themselves in leadership positions”.
The political scientist Verónica Fumanal has argued that the impact of patriarchy is strong and men are not the only ones who have to get rid of it. “If all women were feminists we would live in a feminist world, we are not a collective, we are 50% of the population: enough. Ambition is valued for them and selflessness for them. We don’t have to be selfless, we have to be as we want”, he said.
Esther Vera added that women must also “reeducate themselves so as not to live in permanent guilt and the desire to please”. “Either you lead or you like it. You can never please everyone, so you have to do what you think you should do. Understanding this gives you a great margin of freedom”, he celebrated.
The wall of motherhood
The four women agreed that “motherhood is still a wall” when it comes to holding positions of power. “We haven’t overcome something if it’s an issue that we keep bringing up time and time again”, reflected Chacón, who claimed that it is also a “valid and very personal” option to retire for a while to want to devote himself to child rearing “It’s true that, when you come back, you have to make double the effort”, he said. “That’s why it’s important to choose who you have around: is it someone who covers for you or someone who accompanies you?” asked Mar Alarcón.
The imposter syndrome
The famous “impostor syndrome” has also accompanied them all at some point. “Any honest person has impostor syndrome. But it is true that we women may feel it more intensely because the focus is more easily on us”, said Vera.
In this sense, Fumanal has claimed the power of the sorority. “What I’m trying to do is for my friends to see each other with the eyes I see them with.” The women who lead, he says, “are the ones who no longer apologize”. Even so, Esther Vera wanted to point out, “it’s much better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission”. “Don’t ask for permission, you are ready and the world is yours”, she said, addressing all the women who want to make their way. “We have to make it easy for the women who come, and not make it as difficult for them as it has been for us,” concluded Àngels Chacón. Only then, he assured, “will we achieve a true transformation”.
