Building The New Reality
I was chatting with our next-door neighbour Ted..
Ted - "Have you seen that the new build has been sold?"
Me - "Err... Ted, what do you mean by the 'new build'?”
Ted - "You know… the new build, 4 doors down from us..."
mentally I cross off 4 houses...
Me - "I didn't, no, but why's it called the new build?"
Ted - "didn't you know, it got destroyed in the war and rebuilt."
Me - “ah ha…”
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The 'new build' has stood for more than 60 years... Ted wasn’t even born when the bomb fell on the road that we all now live on and yet in the collective consciousness it’s the “new build.”
Talking to Ted reminded me of one of the challenges facing gender diversity in the workplace.
People often, simply don't have the same points of reference.
If your senior management began their careers at a time when Dads went to work and Mums stayed at home, they won't necessarily understand that attitudes and expectations of a new generation has changed.
Men want to be able to take well paid, extended, parental leave, and then work flexibly in order be there for their children, in a way they don't remember from their own childhoods.
It's good for their mental health, good for their children's connections and outcomes and allows them to support and enable their partner's career ambitions. Helping senior leadership understand this change is crucial to supporting gender equality. Embracing active fatherhood in the workplace can be a game changer for equality. Soon it won't be a new thing.
Building new foundations and thought processes are crucial to driving gender equality at work and at home.
Drop me a message if you want to explore ideas on how your organisation can leverage support for new dads to build better gender equality.
Ian
Info@inspiringdads.co.uk
#inspiringdads #parentalleave #genderequality
