If I were a man, would my education matter?

Yesterday afternoon I went a long to an Ad Week seminar hosted by Grazia magazine called ‘A lot can happen in 10 years’. There was a panel of four women in business who spoke about their take on feminism, all speaking honestly about their views and experiences of what they’ve faced as women in different work environments.

I felt stirred and motivated to bring my dreams to reality and go for all that I want to achieve without resigning myself to a watered-down version of a successful career just because I am a woman, but to know that my ideas, passions and ambitions are worth the pursuit just as much as any man’s might be.

However, in the same train of thought I began doubting myself. I thought about all the successful and influential women there are as role models today and realised that I couldn’t think of any that hadn’t had an amazing education, very unlike my own.

I grew up in South East London and went to one of the worst schools in the area. I did enjoy school, though. I had lots of friends and I always got on okay with my studies. I went on to do my A Levels at my school’s sixth form, and finally to the London College of Communication for university. 

My Year 11 maths class

My education wasn’t terrible, but Oxford and Cambridge were never even something that I would bother setting my sights upon because people like me didn’t go to universities like that.

That notion has continued, without me even realising it, in to my attitude towards my career. I look at the women that are at the top of the leading businesses and pioneering their own enterprises and see that behind them they have an Oxford education that I will never have, so what do I do? I go back to being the schoolgirl who won’t set her sights too high because people like me don’t get the jobs like that.

But if I were a man, would my education matter? There are public figures such as Simon Cowell and Richard Branson who often mention the fact that they dropped out of education and made their own path to success. They are role models to young men, preaching the message; ‘No matter what your background or your education, you can do anything if you set your mind to it!’

So why do our girls not get that same message?

I spent the remainder of the seminar thinking about it, and at the end
 decided to pluck up some courage and go and speak with one of the panelists. I was lucky enough to get a chance to chat to Verity Harding, Public Policy Manager for Google and former special advisor to Nick Clegg.

Verity Harding

She has had an incredible education, but she agreed that when applying for a job, a man might only be required to have the right characteristics for the job, whereas a woman would be required to have the right education for the job.

Verity explained that, as women, we will have to put in twice the effort to get noticed but a lot of it comes down to confidence. She illustrated her point by saying that a man will go for a job that he feels he meets roughly 40% of the criteria for, whereas a woman would go for a job that she feels she meets roughly 70% of the criteria for.

I know I, like many other women, often understate my ability and don’t take risks out of fear of rejection, but if we really want to chase our dreams we need to get used to being risk takers. I know I can't go back in time and change my education, and even if I could, I wouldn't want to, but what I can do is grow in confidence, take chances, and keep working towards the things I want to achieve without allowing thoughts of inadequacy to hold me back.
 

Even in the short conversation I had with Verity, I took away nuggets of advice that will stay with me for a long time. We cannot underestimate the power of role models and mentors. It is so important that we look out for the next generation and help them in their own paths to success.
 

I am praying for a day when there are more influential women in business from all different backgrounds. Whether it is ethnicity, class or education, I want there to be a vast pool of role models for young girls to show them that anything really is possible for them, and they don’t have to be a boy to access that privilege.  

Emma

xx