One Member’s Journey to the FWSF

– Anonymous

Have you ever been told, by a man, that your opportunities were limited because you are a woman? That you would work harder, stay longer, and ultimately produce better work, but you would be a third class employee – belonging to an unpopular department while female. I was 29, in my mentor’s office, and he was explaining to me that is how our company worked. His hands were tied, as he was subject to the views and opinions of his superiors.

In a flurry of anger and frustration, I decided to take action. I soon founded a professional women’s network at my organization. We implemented a solid structure for our group, fully operational by the time our leadership came to their senses. They had no choice but to support us – we included every woman in the company.

Our mission was to empower women through education, mentoring, and networking. We took our first field trip to a mentoring event organized by The Financial Women of San Francisco. When we walked into the event, we had no idea we would be greeted with such warmth. Here was a large group of capable, powerful women and they wanted to include us. We were surprised and delighted – we were used to something quite different. It was an honor to be seen.

I soon became a member of the Financial Woman of San Francisco. The Financial Women of San Francisco gave me an opportunity to be involved in educational events for professional women and gave me access to a network of professionals who value me for the contributions that I bring. Within myself, I made a commitment to empower the women around me to the best of my ability. I quit my job, passed the torch of the women’s group I had created, and set off to be my own boss so that I can be a part of creating the kind of world I want to live in. And what kind of world is that? A world where women are succeeding, leading companies, making important decisions, and addressing the problems of the world. I want to see women excel not by acting like men by competing in a man’s world, but by being themselves, and bringing their special talents to the workforce while being perfectly, flawlessly, female.