8 Solution 7: Stand Together or Fall Apart
“What I would like to say to all the women here today, is this: Women have been so oppressed for so long, they believe what men have to say about them. And they believe they have to back a man to get the job done. And there are some very good men worth backing, but not because they're men—because they're worthy. As women, we have to start appreciating our own worth and each other's worth. Seek out strong women to befriend, to align yourself with, to learn from, to be inspired by, to collaborate with, to support, to be enlightened by.”
— Madonna's speech from 2016 Billboard Music Awards.
This is my most difficult chapter. There are times when as a man I wonder if I have permission to say the things I have already said in this book. When I speak specifically about what men can do to help women achieve equity, I don't feel like I need permission. But there is one last issue I need to address which pushes me into murkier waters. While I was doing research for this book, many women came forth to speak an uncomfortable truth: a common experience many women have had that adds friction to our path to gender equity. I was myself startled when it was first told to me, and it was only with the convicted and persuasive assurances of so many women that I finally admitted, yeah, this is a thing.
Is it the meat of the gender equality problem? No it is not. Maybe it's merely 10%. Maybe even less.
Should we overfocus on it? Most certainly ...