Lets talk about getting paid well for our time and skills.

Hello, at the moment I'm busy writing my next book. Sometimes it may feel like things go very quiet from my end, but that's because I've got my head buried deep in my writing. I have realised that I'm not a multi-tasker. I can only do one thing at a time! So its official, not all women are multi-taskers. Ladies give yourself permission to not multi-task if it doesn't work for you.

During the last month I've been writing about money and how many women tend to disrespect their time and skills by not feeling entitled to ask for a good hourly rate. I am delighted that I had an article accepted by the Policy Review Magazine.
http://www.policyreview.co.uk/articles.php?article_id=90 I didn't know if they would accept it, but it feels great that someone is listening to how pay inequality gets internalised and continued as if it is normal.

I'm worried that the women who are building businesses using their much needed nurturing skills are having a hard time, not only because of all this talk of belt tightening, but because we are in danger of going backwards and expecting women to nurture for free, to give their time away for free, and to not be "greedy" and expect a good return for their time, skills and experience.

I don't think that we have as yet fully examined the pure sexism around women's time, skills and experience being undervalued, especially if their skills are traditionally female. Think about it. How much did our mothers and grandmother give away for free? Did they get a financial return for their skills? My mother or grandmother didn't. Though they were both educated women, once they married they were financially dependent. Though things have changed a lot in a short time, what hasn't changed is women feeling confident about getting a good return for their nurturing skills. We are still, and I speak for myself here too, too wobbly and unentitled to claim our financial power. Maybe it is that word "power" again that we are so afraid of, because society is afraid of powerful women. Whatever it is, I am on a mission to not only claim my own, but to empower women to claim their financial power. We cannot be fully equal or visible without it.
Talk to you next time,
Rosjke