How far have we come as women?

At our Toronto dinner last week we had three journalists as speakers. All had been editors of mainstream magazines, and Linda Lewis is still in that role, heading up the new magazine More which is aimed at women over 40.

The discussion was lively to say the least and as they recalled their early days in journalism, many were shocked to learn that in job interviews they were even asked whether they were using birth control – after all the employers didn’t want to invest in someone who might get pregnant. As Dianne Rinehart (former editor of Homemakers) pointed out, she was sure they didn’t ask the men if they used condoms. When you hear stories like this, you realize we have come a long way.

But not far enough to support Hilary Clinton. When the panel were asked whether Hilary was getting a fair shake by the media, the answer was a resounding no. Not only were the media not being supportive, but women were also judging her, observed Rona Maynard, former editor-in-chief at Chatelaine.

It would seem in the eyes of many if she shows emotion, it is deemed that she is cracking under the pressure and therefore not capable of this leadership role, and if she steels herself and appears strong, she is categorized as a hard-hearted individual. Either way, it would seem that she can’t win – neither the nomination nor the unilateral support of her gender, which is too bad as she is more than capable and would bring a wealth of experience to the job. The primaries on Tuesday will reveal all.

DIGGING DEEP

Recently I had the opportunity to participate in a media interview, and in preparation had to answer some really tough questions on topics we don’t think about on a daily basis.

It was an interesting process and I was surprised at how deep I had to dig to come up with honest answers. I had answered all the questions but struggled with some, waffling on what was the best and most accurate answer to give.

I mean… if you were asked what talent or skill you wanted to have … how quickly could you come up with an answer? I had narrowed it down to three choices – public speaking, painting or driving (I am a nervous driver). As I reflected on this, it struck me that no where had I ever really acknowledged that I wanted to learn to paint, and if I really wanted to pursue this, there was nothing stopping me from taking lessons. Hey – who knows I could be the next Emily Carr!

What did I pick? In the end I went with the driving, because my fears limit me and I need to overcome this one.

Yet other questions, were easy to answer, such as describing the perfect day. Straight away I saw myself with my girlfriends, chatting, laughing, supporting each other in the way that women do.

All in all a thought-provoking process, that caused me to think hard and to ask my friends and family how accurate and truthful I was being in describing myself.

I leave you with one of the questions – what five words best describe you?