Last week someone asked why Above Water is only directed towards women. They said that the platform is in itself sexist. Above Water is not solely directed towards women but we are here to empower women rather than men. Why? Because women remain hugely underrepresented across society and as a result remain misrepresented and misconceived within society. We are underrepresented in the boardroom, on the sports field, in Parliament, in the press. In fact it’s difficult to think of an area where we’re equally represented or equally viewed. As a result our voices are not adequately heard and our abilities are not fully showcased. Above Water has been created to help combat this. The facts speak for themselves:
There are only 7 women leading FTSE 100 companies (in comparison there are twice as many men named John leading FTSE 100 companies…).
Only 5% of total sports coverage relates to activities by women.
Only 29% of women are MPs.
The full time gender pay gap is 13.9% - at current progress it’ll take 50 years to close this.
If you don't believe in the stats you only need to look around at your environment for proof. Despite working in the heavily male dominated industry of finance for five years I was still shocked when I walked into the Institute of Directors last week to see a dining room of c. 150 people with only 6 women - 2 were having meetings, 2 were waitresses and 2 were receptionists. Whilst the IoD may have appointed their first female chair in 2015, it’s clearly made sod all difference on the ground. How can our daughters and young women aspire to be leaders in business when there are so few role models to aspire to?
It’s not only in business though. Women continue to be objectified in the media and the worrying part is that it continues to be normalised. How nobody has batted an eyelid over the cover of the NEIKED ‘Sexual’ single below is beyond me. The Sun may no longer print Page 3 topless models but we clearly still have a long long way to go before women are no longer viewed as objects.
Above Water focuses on women because I don't believe that there are enough platforms out there showcasing what real women can and have achieved. I don't think that there are enough platforms focusing on what women do rather than what women look like and I don't think that there are enough platforms showcasing strong positive role models for the future generation to aspire to. The hope is that through this platform and network we will be able to build a community of like minded individuals who can help inspire each other and ultimately help empower the future generation together - I personally believe that we need it now more than ever.
If you would like to get involved in Above Water and / or share your story let us know info@above-water.co.uk
