Spending power

[newplanneeded]

Observing various workplace initiatives to help women succeed in the male doninated industry I’m in - it‘s all just lipservice and nothing really is changing. I‘m so tiered of it.
Management level and high salary jobs are men, the further down the career ladder (and salary bracket) the more women.

For a while now I’ve started to completely change my spending power as it is clear from my POV that a different distribution of wealth is a major factor to achieve equality between genders. Now, if I need to pay for any service, i‘m seeking a woman to do the job. In addition, my clicks / likes/ engagements / reviews in the online world equally are a form of currency.

Please help me to create the list of services and online places to elevate women.

1.	recent househunting. every estate agent i made appointments with, I asked for a female estate agent if possible. gave a positive review online for the one that helped to find the home

2.	house buying - tried to find a female surveyor but couldn’t find one. 

3.	house buying -  hired a female solicitor. wrote a positive review on google for her
4.	planning a (fancy) anniversary restaurant visit. whilst researching restaurants realised that most celebrated chefs are male. from the few female chef options - thats where i booked. wrote an email to Michelin Guide saying that the lack of women they honor is embarrassing.

5.	Online currency - IMDB is (used to be?) much more frequented by men. made an account and give 7+ star reviews to all the tv shows / films I like that have a female lead or pass the Bechdel test. 

what are yours? I especially want to find more in the online space, like IMDB (which is a respected platform for the film industry) with voting power?

I like this OP, thanks for starting the thread.

I should think about this more often.

Tv shows and films is one area where I often use my spending/streaming power on things with strong female leads. I can’t really think of specific examples right now but will have a think. You’re right in that it’s harder to leave reviews for things like that.

In my professional career I often look at how many women a company has on their board/in senior positions before choosing which companies to engage with.

I started making micro-loans (suggested min $25) to women in developing countries through Kiva. When I stopped donating to Oxfam. Not only is it good for the small business women, but it has been shown that investing like this in women (more than men) has a positive effect on family health and education. And you get your money back over time to re-loan to someone else.

I think part of the issue is that much fewer women than men seemed prepared to work hard in a full time job until retirement age. It's the elephant in the room.

Very good thread!

Following

What nonsense @KrispyKremeDream! Many woman find themselves restricted to certain jobs/roles to fit in with family commitments. The burden still falls mainly on them.

@KrispyKremeDream

I think part of the issue is that much fewer women than men seemed prepared to work hard in a full time job until retirement age. It's the elephant in the room.

Sorry did you know you were in the feminist section? 🤣

It isn’t that women aren’t prepared to work hard it’s because they often aren’t supported to work to their full potential when they want to.

Oh sorry, this is the part where we pretend that women who never return to full time work desperately wanted to but couldn’t because they just weren’t supported enough, right?

Nothing to do with the husband saying “we don’t need the money so you don’t need to work full time if you don’t want to.”

I’m not buying this myth that slogging away in the office is the dream life. It’s a means to an end, and an unnecessary one if you share finances and your husband already makes a packet. Yes, he might leave you in the lurch but that’s the risk you take for having a comfortable existence based largely on somebody else’s hard work.

@KrispyKremeDream

I think part of the issue is that much fewer women than men seemed prepared to work hard in a full time job until retirement age. It's the elephant in the room.

Can't OP hire the part time women if she wants? They tend to work harder in the hours they do anyway.

Can't OP hire the part time women if she wants? They tend to work harder in the hours they do anyway.

Of course she can. They might even do a better job as will presumably be getting more rest and recovery time than somebody slogging every day.

My point was more about the pay gap. Men as a class work longer hours and more days, so in effect it could be said they work harder overall. This could quite understandably create a bias with employers.

My point was more about the pay gap.

I know and I find it pretty ignorant to suggest that's the sole reason. As a woman who works very hard full time and sees inadequate men promoted (in my business, not my organisation) above highly skilled women.

However, this thread is about lifting women up. Not blaming them for where they are.

@SimpleHoardOfTruth
I started making micro-loans (suggested min $25) to women in developing countries through Kiva. When I stopped donating to Oxfam. Not only is it good for the small business women, but it has been shown that investing like this in women (more than men) has a positive effect on family health and education. And you get your money back over time to re-loan to someone else.

This is amazing, I'll look into it!

Men don’t work longer hours than women. Men simply work more paid hours.
Women put in a full shift at work, then a further unpaid shift at home.
And actually, when I was a junior doctor working 100 hour weeks, my male colleagues weren’t doing any more hours than I was.

@Babdoc

Men don’t work longer hours than women. Men simply work more paid hours. Women put in a full shift at work, then a further unpaid shift at home. And actually, when I was a junior doctor working 100 hour weeks, my male colleagues weren’t doing any more hours than I was.

Not my experience.

Loads of women I know are now only working PT in their 30s and their kids are out the house at school for most of the day. Being the feminism section you probs won’t find many women on here admitting this but many are happy to let their husband be the main breadwinner while they take a step back.

There was a thread a while back about not working being a privilege and it really opened my eyes. Plenty of posts along the lines of ”hubby works long hours in a well paid job so I’m lucky I don’t have to”.

@SimpleHoardOfTruth

I started making micro-loans (suggested min $25) to women in developing countries through Kiva. When I stopped donating to Oxfam. Not only is it good for the small business women, but it has been shown that investing like this in women (more than men) has a positive effect on family health and education. And you get your money back over time to re-loan to someone else.

I did the exact same thing! Stopped donating to Oxfam and starting giving micro-loans to Lend with Care.

I only lend to women too. Because as shit as it must be to be a poor man in a poor country - it's even shitter to be a poor woman in a poor country.

OP - your idea is brilliant. Could we maybe start again because one poster has derailed everything?

The derailing poster is obviously unaware that 75% of women with children work outside the home.
He (and I bet it is a he!) apparently lives in a 1950’s fantasy world.
However, we have already wasted enough time on him, so I suggest ignoring any more of his misogynist twaddle.

Loads of women I know are now only working PT in their 30s and their kids are out the house at school for most of the day. Being the feminism section you probs won’t find many women on here admitting this but many are happy to let their husband be the main breadwinner while they take a step back.

Do you think women on here are lying? Once again I work full time.

Kiva looks great. And you can filter the results so that you give only to women.

Do you think women on here are lying? Once again I work full time.

Well, there do seem to be an incredibly high number of women earning £100k+. Far higher than the statistical likelihood would suggest. Just like how everybody on a martial arts forum seems to be a black belt.

I actually sat and worked it out today, between my actual job and all the housework and childcare I do, I actually work around 30 hours a week more than DH. The second shift is very real!

@KrispyKremeDream

Do you think women on here are lying? Once again I work full time.

Well, there do seem to be an incredibly high number of women earning £100k+. Far higher than the statistical likelihood would suggest. Just like how everybody on a martial arts forum seems to be a black belt.

Gotcha. Women are liars.

Great thread, thanks OP and those who made other suggestions. The micro-loans especially — an ideal use for the money I’m withdrawing from Amnasty, as the misogynist former human-rights group was called on another thread.

added Lend with Care to my list, thanks @ThisIsStartingToBoreMe

I'm trying to ignore the derailing comments and slowly building my list.

Fabulous idea for a thread.

Microloans are going to be my New Year plan. Just fantastic. Do you get info on how the loan worked out etc, impact?