As part of the work that I do (and love), I am an executive coach for an organization called, Chief. Chief was started by two women with the intent of helping women get into senior leader roles, particularly in the C-suite, and to keep them there. These two women realized that women were literally years away from true financial and representative equity and they decided to do something about it. They have since raised over $1 billion and have made Chief one of the fastest growing, women-run organizations in our country.

It has been an incredible pleasure to work with the members of Chief. I run three groups of women who are all in senior level positions within their organizations. These women are smart, funny, kind, inclusive, and they work really, really hard. In order to get to the level they have, most of them say that they’ve had to work twice as hard as their male counterparts. These women are accomplished and they are exhausted. How will we help women find equity if they are too exhausted to continue on?

In one of the group discussions a member said, “The only time I’ve been able to take off is when I had an organ removed.” We all laughed in that it was funny and she meant an organ that was not life sustaining. However, there was also a bit of sadness in the truth of her statement. Women still carry the heavier load of work in the home and then deal with the pressure of work outside of their homes, all of which leads to burn-out and exhaustion.

Equity in the Workplace Requires Equity at Home

If women are to ever reach full equity, our partners are going to have to step up and help us get there. Labor within our homes, raising children, and emotional labor all must be divided more equally for the greater good of our families and a more diverse workforce and leadership. Division of labor within and outside of the home will benefit all of us in that we will have a physically and emotionally healthier population, more diverse representation both personally and professionally, and more enjoyable relationships all the way around.

If you are a woman who feels that the only way to get some downtime is to get sick or to give up an organ, you are not alone. Also know that it’s not okay. Let’s start asking for equity in all aspects of our life and not accepting less than that. Let’s teach our sons and daughters about contributing to the home and to the workplace. It’s well past time that we all contributed equally in all areas of life. Let’s not have to give up an organ in order to make that happen.

Love,

Lisa Kaplin Psy. D. PCC