Men earn on average 14% more per hour gross than women. The percentage is getting smaller every year, but the pay gap remains. Women occupy only a third of the seats in the House of Representatives and 35% of the Dutch ministers are women. And of all “specialists” in talk shows, only 23% are women. Every year I get a shock when I read the latest reports. In my experience, as a woman you can achieve anything, with perseverance and ambition.
The women who have been named Businesswoman of the Year in recent years all have a healthy dose of guts. And they have ambitions. What strikes me is that most women do not dare to make their own choices. Not daring to set their own goals. They are guided by the opinions of others. In addition, they want to keep everything under control, which is at the expense of their own desires. I think that’s the crux.
If you don’t know what your dreams are, how can you make them come true? Women can use some help. Through a coach, through training, listening to podcasts, or reading self-help books. My life coach once gave me the book ” The Gift of a Year” by Mira Kirshenbaum. That book helped me to renew myself. The book is full of inspiring examples of women who changed their lives. By answering a number of questions you learn to find out what really matters to you. The practical advice, guidance and motivation help you to realize your dreams.
I hope to experience the moment when inequality between men and women no longer exists. In the Netherlands and internationally. That women are just as well represented as men, in politics, in the media, in business and in science. At all levels. To me, every woman is a power woman who deserves to bring her ambitions to life.